By the Dark of the Moon
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Why was he like this? Was he born this way or was he an escapee from some weird science experiment? All he knew was that he transformed with the phases of the moon. 'I don't know what the hell I am but sometimes I'm a cat, sometimes, I'm a human, and sometimes I'm both,' he thinks to himself. Then there was her; how could he tell her what he is when he did not know? OC/AU
1. Chapter 1

MMMOOOORRRRWWWW!

'What the hell is that?' Nami wondered, getting up from the couch.

The awful howl permeated her house again alerting her that the maker of the sound was on the back porch. The full moon always brought out the neighborhood stray cats. One had found its way onto her back porch tonight. Stopping by the sink to fill a glass with water, she planned to get rid of the cat right quick and in a hurry. Opening the door, she was greeted with another loud yowl. The cat was sitting on her welcome mat as if it was supposed to be there.

"Hey!" she yelled when the white fur ball calmly padded into the house as if she had opened the door just for him. It was not hard to tell it was a 'him' once he turned his behind to her. She watched in stunned disbelief as he made himself at home on her living room couch.

"Hey, you! You don't belong here!" she shouted at the cat.

'Oh, god! I don't want to be the crazy cat lady down the street! It's not even my cat and I'm talking to it,' she thought with frustration as she stomped into the living room.

Nami stared down at the cat as if she could intimidate him to leave. The cat was white with black tipped ears and black paws. He looked up at her with his turquoise blue eyes and blinked.

"Meow." His eyes slowly closed then reopened. It was as if he were begging her to stay.

"Poor kitty," she cooed, she stroking his back. "Do you want to live with me?"

"Meow."

She giggled because it was as if he were trying to communicate with her. Sighing deeply with resignation, she went back to the kitchen to close the door. Looking down at her hand, she saw the glass of water and drank it. The bold kitty had saved himself from an impromptu bath and gotten himself a new home. She sat the empty glass down on the counter refusing to allow the worry to blossom that she was completely losing her mind. Cats were her favorite animal yet she had harbored no real desire to own one for a pet. Her main reason was because of the stigma attached to single women with cats. Returning to the living room, she sighed indignantly to see the large cat stretched out on her sofa asleep. Her home was his home, and he had not wasted a minute before getting comfy.

Nami had a soft spot for cats so there was no way she could throw him back out now. Besides, he was a beautiful creature. Massive for a cat, he stretched across half of the couch. Why was such a spoiled feline running loose? It was apparent he was well taken care of and someone had owned him. Sitting beside his large head, she noticed a thin, sky blue collar around his neck. Not caring if she woke him, she tugged on the collar to check for a tag. On a round silver disk attached to the collar she found bore a single word and no address.

"Grimmy," she read out loud. Grimmy? What an odd name for a cat. "Well, Grimmy, welcome to my home."

...

Nami awoke with something soft, warm, and very heavy on her chest. She wriggled around a bit and heard the grinding sound of a loud purr. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the intense stare of two sky blue cat eyes.

"Good morning, pretty boy. Did you sleep with me last night?" she asked, scratching him behind his black tipped ears. She smiled when he pushed his head into her hand and purred louder.

The cat pushed past her hand and nuzzled against her cheek. Nami sighed as he happily rubbed his cheek against hers as if he were thanking her for a warm home to sleep in instead of having to endure another cold night outdoors. She laughed again when he curled up on her chest and attempted to go back to sleep.

"Oh, no, you're not going back to sleep, Grimmy," she informed, picking him up.

Nami placed him on the floor next to her feet before she stood up to walk into the bathroom. She did not expect him to follow her, but he silently walked behind her right into the bathroom.

Grimmy sat at her feet, staring up at her as she got undressed. He waited for her as she showered, meowing at her when she reappeared from behind the moss green shower curtain.

"Pervert kitty!" she admonished him when he mewed lowly at her while she dried off.

Nami began to mentally plan her day. It was her day off from her paper pushing job so she would have to go shopping today to get him a few things. Maybe she should go to that expensive pet store where pets were allowed to accompany their owners inside.

"We're going shopping, Grimmy," she announced as she walked into the bedroom to get dressed in jeans and a slouchy orange pullover sweater.

Fashion was not a word in her vocabulary. Clean and comfortable were the words she lived by when it came to her clothing choices. She continued to talk to the cat and occasionally he would meow in response as if he were actually listening. Damn. It was official. She had already succumbed to the insanity of being a single woman with a cat.

Grimmy sat in the top basket of the shopping cart like he was king of the world. He nuzzled her hand sporadically as she pushed the cart down the aisles to show his gratitude for her kindness and the fact that he liked her. This won him a full body stroke or a scratch behind the ears each time he rubbed against her hand. He loved her already.

Nami had gathered the basics such as food, a bed, and bathroom essentials. She was now perusing the toy aisle. Just like any good cat lady, she would present the toys to him for a show of interest and approval. She soon got the distinct feeling she was being watched and raised her head to look around. Her eyes met a pair of friendly brown ones under a cap of spikey orange hair. Orange? Despite the odd colored hair, he was very nice looking.

"Hi," he said, offering a shy smile.

"Hello," she returned, putting back the toy she was holding. Grimmy did not seem to like that one anyway.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It was just so…cute. You're treating him as if he were a human and not a cat," he remarked, his smile growing with amusement.

"Well," she began, clearing her throat as the heat of embarrassment rose to her face. "A lot of people do that. It's really not that unusual."

"You're right. It's not. I just couldn't help noticing you. That's all," he assured her, still smiling.

Why would he notice her? There was nothing special about her. Mousy brown hair that was flat as a board and barely drifted past her shoulders, dirt brown eyes, and skin as white as a sheet would hardly deem her as a beauty queen or noteworthy by a man with his looks. Smiling self-consciously, she bowed her head and went back to searching for suitable toys.

"My name is Ichigo," he offered, waiting for her to reciprocate.

"I'm Nami. Nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand. Grimmy rubbed against her other hand then turned to hiss at the man when he shook her presented hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. Grimmy, stop that," she admonished, stroking his back to push down the raised fur.

"I have a dog. He must smell him on me. He's a shiba inu named Renji," he told her.

"Meow!" Grimmy bawled, pawing her hand.

"I suppose I should be going. I just found him on my doorstep last night, and he's still a little nervous," she offered in excuse. She was the one who was extremely nervous. Talking to the handsome man had set her nerves on edge, and she was ready to leave anyway. Men frightened her. No wonder she was single.

"Maybe I'll see you here again sometime," he said, as she walked away.

"Possibly," she returned, disappearing around the corner. She took several deep breaths to steady her ragged breathing. Honestly, she should be ashamed for being such a coward. Hopefully one of these days her awkwardness would be cured. Some kind of miracle had to happen to her.

...

* * *

Nami was lying on the couch with the cat stretched across her body as they watched television. His head was tucked under chin and his back paws extended past her waist. She still could not believe the size of this cat. He was probably nearly as big as Ichigo's dog. She blushed from thinking about the attractive man. If she had any courage at all, she would have asked for his phone number. Alas, she was too bashful therefore she was in her early twenties and still without a boyfriend. The saddest thing of the matter was that she was completely aware of how pitiful it was that she could hardly talk to a man much less date one.

"But you love me right?" she asked the cat. Her answer came in a deep, rumbling purr that vibrated through her chest from the cat. "I thought so."

Grimmy became her ever present companion when she was at home. He slept with her at night, stood guard while she showered, then dutifully followed her out the door when she left for work. When she returned home, he would be sitting on the welcome mat at the backdoor waiting for her. He would eat his dinner from his special bowl with his name on it while she sat at the table and ate hers. Then they would watch television together until she went to bed. She had a boring life, but since he was a cat he did not care. It suited him quite well. She suited him quite well.

~\0/~

* * *

Nami came home and did not find Grimmy sitting on the back porch waiting for her like usual. Apprehension tugged at her gut, but she pushed it aside. He had appeared a little over a week ago so maybe he had gotten comfortable with his surroundings and decided to go exploring. She went on into the house to get dinner prepared for when he did come home.

It was dark, cold, and a half-moon lit the night sky. Nami sat on the back porch anxiously calling the cat that had wiggled his way into her home and her heart. Where could that darn cat be? Why wasn't he home yet? Nervously wringing her hands as she paced across the back porch, she called him again. It was getting late and the chill was getting worse. It was near the end of October after all. Pulling her sweater around her tighter, she sniffed because she wanted to cry and the frigid air was making her nose run anyway.

Nami refused to allow the thought into her head that he had simply ran away. He had showed up as a stray on her doorstep and he was a male cat after all. The term tom catting around was made for a reason. Maybe he had gone to seek gratification elsewhere. Just like a man. She suddenly remembered why she was in no big hurry to push past her fear of the male of the human species. She was afraid for a reason. When she was only four years old, her father had abandoned her and her mother for another woman. As she entered her teenage years, her mother was swift to inform her of the evils of men to keep her safe from the demons and their nasty tricks.

"Oh, Grimmy, please come home," she whimpered, feeling a tear slide from her eye. It was instantly cooled by the breeze and traced a cold path down her already freezing cheek. She had to give up and go in before she got sick. There was nothing else she could do but hope and wait for his return.

Grimmjow leaned against the side of the house, holding his head in his paw. He could not let her see him like this. She would never understand. He could not explain it since he did not understand it himself. He had always been like this. Since it was the half-moon, he had morphed into his half human form. He was now half man, half panther and like always, he was hopelessly confused. Why was he like this? Was he born this way or was he an escapee from some weird science experiment? Catching his reflection in the window beside him, he wanted to smash the glass. He had the body of a cat but stood on two legs and was as tall as a human man. His face looked like a man's but he had the sharp, feral teeth of a feline and blue furry ears. Streaks of blue under his eyes looked as if he had applied eyeliner. By Halloween, he would be changed into a man when the new moon was hidden in the sky from view. Too bad he would not be like this. He could walk among the people and no one would notice.

The sound of her crying inside met his sensitive ears. Grimmjow dropped to his knees beneath the windowsill when the light inside her bedroom flicked on. Curiosity got the better of him, he was a cat after all, and peeked above the windowsill. Her curtains were open a tiny bit so he could see her as she got undressed. Smiling, his sharp incisors poked into his full bottom lip. He had seen her undress many times. He liked watching her take a shower too. She allowed him to follow her wherever she went, and he most certainly did. His favorite place to sleep was on her chest, snuggled between her sizable but not overly huge breasts. His big body in cat form fit perfectly between them. She was not the most beautiful owner he had ever had, but she was by far the kindest. That alone made her unusually lovely to him.

Grimmjow felt a pain in his heart as he observed her sitting on the side of her bed sobbing after she put on her favorite (and his) pair of fuzzy pajamas. He liked sleeping on her belly when she wore those. The desire to go to her was almost irresistible. What would he say? 'Hi! I don't know what the hell I am but sometimes I'm a cat, sometimes, I'm a human, and sometimes I'm both. Can I live with you forever?' Then he could go visit her at the insane asylum she was sure to be taken to after she promptly lost her mind. No, he had to be careful. He wanted to stay with her, but he could not be seen like this by anyone – particularly her. Glancing around the yard, he noticed the large shed in the backyard. He would have to find somewhere to hide and that looked like the best place. He would be safe and still be near her.

"I'm sorry, Nami. Please, don't cry. One day I'll explain," he whispered, reaching out to place his claws against the window. "Just not today."

Every night Nami would go to the porch and sit for hours. Sometimes she would call for him. Other nights she would just cry. It was getting to be more than he could take. Grimmjow looked down at his body. He was almost fully human now. Tomorrow night was the new moon, and the transformation would be complete. He would have to stay hidden for another week until he was a cat again. It was obvious he was breaking her heart, and she was definitely breaking his. When would he tell her what he really is? How would he tell her?

Curling up on the old blankets he had found in the shed she used for storage, Grimmjow shivered until he fell into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, I want to thank my fabulous Beta, _**xfang-girlx**_. I appreciate her having confidence in this story even when I didn't. I also want to thank all my reviewers for their kind words and encouragement. AmaterasuOmikami and Bonnie Fritz, thank you for having faith in my ability to pull off this strange storyline. I am grateful to all of you.

* * *

"MEEEE-OOOOW!"

Nami was off the couch and to the door in a flash. Yanking open the door, she shrieked with joy to see her black and white furry friend. Scooping him up into her arms, she kissed his fuzzy face and squeezed him until he meowed in complaint.

"Oh, you bad kitty! How could leave me?" she asked, holding him out from her to glare at him. She was crazy, and she did not care. Her baby had come home. Feeling his ribs beneath her fingers, she put him down to hurriedly fill his bowl.

"Bad cat. That's what you get for wandering away," she chastised him as he gobbled down the food.

"Meow-wow!" he begged after finishing it off. Surely, she would understand he needed more. She was a smart human, and he had not eaten for a week. He knew she would want to give him a treat since he returned.

"Oh, all right. I know what you want," she said, receiving a purr as she opened another can of food.

Nami went to the living room to allow him to eat at his leisure. Damn cat. She should have just left his furry behind outside. Unfortunately, she had allowed herself to get attached to the furball because he had been by her side virtually every waking moment after he walked into her life.

"We'll have to go to the pet store again tomorrow," she announced as he walked into the living room where she sat on the couch and jumped into her lap. Her hand stroked him from the tips of his ears to the base of his tail. She smiled while he purred loudly in appreciation. She wondered if the orange haired dog lover would be there again. But that was just stupid. What were the chances of that happening?

~\..'../~

* * *

"Hi!" Ichigo greeted her with a broad grin when they saw each other on the food aisle.

"Hi," Nami returned, toying with a lock of her coffee colored hair.

She had worn a black long sleeved turtle neck under a form fitting red sweater with a belt. She had even dabbed on a bit of make up just in case… just in case of this. Combating the shyness that was making her blush, she held his gaze and smiled. He looked handsome as ever dressed in jeans and a plain black t-shirt and leather jacket. Leather huh? Did he own a motorcycle? There were so many questions she would like to ask him.

"Meow!" Grimmy protested, nipping at her hand.

"Ow! You're already in enough trouble as it is," she snapped at the jealous furball.

"What happened?" Ichigo inquired with curiosity.

"Oh, he ran away from home. I suppose cats are prone to do that if they're left outside. I just never thought he would because he…" She trailed off, smiling sheepishly. He was probably not interested in her ramblings about her cat. "So how's Renji?"

"Oh, you remembered," he chuckled lightly. "He's great as ever. I wish you could see him. He's really cute."

'Like his owner I imagine,' she thought to herself, smiling asininely. She was relieved she had not said what she was thinking out loud.

"Um…well…uh…would you like to get together for a picnic or something? We could meet at the park and you could bring him," Nami suggested, shocking herself. Did she just ask him out? OHMYGOD! Would he think she had just hit on him?

"That sounds great," he rejoined with a big smile. Setting down the bag of dog food, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Will you give me your number?"

"NOOOO!" the cat howled, causing both humans to gape at him in astonishment.

"Did that cat just say no?" Ichigo asked, staring wide eyed at the animal.

"It's just my imagination, uh, I mean your imagination," she nervously responded, staring at the cat with disbelief and alarm. Clearing her throat, she gathered her wits as best as she could. "No. Cats just make funny noises sometimes. He's probably just hungry again. He showed up half-starved after being gone," she explained.

She was relieved she was not the only one who thought the cat had said no. Apprehensively giving Grimmy a stroke down his long back, she recited her phone number for Ichigo. She watched him type it into his phone and then hers began to ring.

"Now you have my phone number too. I'll call you soon," he assured her, walking away with a small wave.

Grimmy arched his back and hissed threateningly when the orange haired man walked past. Sitting down on his haunches, he began to yowl a chorus that sounded like the drawn out, baleful 'no' of earlier.

"Stop that! You're creeping me out," Nami fussed at him, scratching him behind his ears.

"Mew," he mewled lowly in response. It was his attempt to apologize.

They finished their shopping and headed home with more food and a few more toys. Before they even reached the house her phone chimed to alert her to a text message.

Grimmy stared at her face as she looked at the rectangular device in her hand. Why was she smiling so strangely?

"Oooh, I just got invited to dinner," she informed him excitedly.

Grimmy growled deep in his throat. He was not happy.

~\..'../~

* * *

Gone again. Damn cat. Nami was beginning to think she should rename him DC. She called one last time and shook her head in defeat. She sat on her back porch wrapped in a blanket to tolerate the cold. Stupid cat. Stupid her. How could she care so much for a dumb animal who ran off again? Wiping angrily at her tears, she realized this might not be about the cat at all. This was just another reminder of her past that she had tried to run away from because it was too painful to confront. Maybe that was why men frightened her. Her father had left her and her mother alone, disappearing one day to never return. That could by why such a silly thing as a wayward cat was making her hurt so badly. The cat had returned once; surely he would come back once more. Oh, this was ridiculous. Why should she care?

"I miss you, Grimmy," she mumbled, walking into the house.

Nami had a date to get ready for. Ichigo would be picking her up in an hour to take her to her favorite Italian restaurant.

~...~

Grimmjow stood up to his full height of six feet since he was half-human, placing his paws against the window. He watched as she pulled a black dress out of the closet and held it against her body. Then she pulled out a short red one that barely covered her body.

"No, not that one!" he exclaimed, ducking when she turned toward the window.

He pressed his body against the side of the house waiting several minutes before he stood back up to make sure she was preoccupied with searching for a dress again. He could not believe she was actually going out on a date with that – that _man_! Looking down at his paws where hands should be, he pondered for the millionth time – _what was he? _He still did not know but what he did know without a doubt was that he loved her and did not want her going out on a date with another man. Especially a man with a _dog_. Yuck!

Grimmjow gripped the windowsill and bit his lower lip when she dropped the towel to slip on the azure blue dress that hugged every curve and bump on her body. He did not like the way his eyes were automatically drawn to certain areas. It angered him to know that the orange haired man's eyes would be looking at those areas too. That man would be looking at what belonged to him. He had purposely picked her to be his owner so he felt he owned her in return.

Grimmjow watched while she fluffed her hair and rechecked her make up. She was beautiful but did not seem to understand that. She always complained about not being skinny enough or pretty enough or tall enough or anything enough. To him she was everything and more than enough. His luminous cerulean blue eyes looked her over longingly as she continued to stare at her reflection and primp. He could not let that man have her. He could not put off revealing his true identity to her much longer or he would lose her. Unfortunately, he could still lose her by disclosing the truth of his…_condition_. Watching her slide her hands over her hips, he knew it was a risk he must take, or he would never know if she would accept him or not.

~...~

Nami returned home late. She wore a big smile on her face and felt as if she were walking on a cloud instead of the floor. She really liked Ichigo. He was so sweet and romantic. He had brought her flowers which was so old-fashioned and dated but simply adorable. She could almost feel herself falling for him right then. He had taken her coat, pulled out her chair, allowed her to order first, and everything else that a polite gentleman does for a lady. At the end of the date, he had opened the door for her to lead her out to his car. When he returned her to her house, he walked her to her porch and kissed her good night. While walking back to his car, he promised to call her tomorrow.

'Just hang on, Nami,' she told herself in her mind. 'Wait and see if he calls, then get excited. But only a little! Time will tell if he's worth giving your heart to.'

~...~

Grimmjow used his nail to pick the lock on the back door. He was tired of sleeping out in the cold. Nami had returned from her date about an hour ago and would be in a deep sleep so she would never be the wiser to his presence. Entering the house in complete silence was easy with his velvety padded paws that kept his movements soundless as he sauntered across the floor. He was not in danger of bumping into anything because he still retained his feline night vision. What he was in danger of was being distracted as he walked past her open bedroom door to reach the door for the attic stairs. Glancing inside her saw her turn in the bed, kicking out from under the covers. Her drawn-out sigh made every muscle in body tense as he stood still as a statue watching her to see if she was going to wake up.

"Grimmy," she moaned in her sleep.

Grimmjow could not help but smile since she called out his name. Taking a terrifying but exciting chance, he crept into her bedroom for a closer look at her. He crouched down by her bed, reverting to his cat instincts to keep her from detecting his presence. His blue furry ears twitched and moved forward listening to every sigh and little noise she made. Steadily inching closer and closer to her, he was almost on the bed with her when she rolled back over onto her back. She was as miserable without him as he was without her. On the nights he slept on her chest she never moved. His curious cat nature kicked in and pushed out the human good sense as he looked at her body that had been bared by the covers falling away. He reached out to touch her exposed shoulder then recoiled when he saw his colossal, furry black paw next to her ivory skin.

Was he a monster? Would she think he was a monster? Grimmjow had no idea what the answer was to the questions. He held his breath, his eyes going to his paw when he felt her hand on it. Although he was afraid, he did not move. Moreover, he was enjoying being touched by her. It felt different than when he was in full feline form. Driven by his inherent inquisitiveness, he leaned forward to nuzzle her face. She startled him when her hands went to his face, then tentatively moved toward his ears.

"Grimmy," Nami called, pulling him forward to hold his head against her chest.

Grimmjow was terrified at this time. He could only imagine how she would react if she woke up. Her hands began to stroke through his long blue hair while the steady beat of her heart thumped against his ear. Allowing himself to relax in her arms, he touched her this time being careful not to scratch her as he slid his paw over her arm.

"Nami," he purred.

He felt her shudder under his touch, but she held him tighter so he could not leave her. His purr grew louder, vibrating her slightly. He could smell the faint, overly sweet smell of alcohol wafting from her mouth. The consumption of alcohol and the late hour at which she arrived home explained why she was not waking up. He remained a few moments longer, relishing the feel of her fingertips against his skin when she stroked his cheek. No matter how badly he did not want to leave her, he knew he must.

Grimmjow rose up a bit, looking down at her. Unable to stop himself, he ever so tenderly pressed his lips to hers. It was a chaste kiss, and he had to be particularly cautious not to nick her tender lips with his razor sharp incisors. He shifted off the bed to retreat to his planned hiding place in the attic so they could both get some sleep for the night.

~...~

Nami found it difficult to rouse herself when the alarm went off. Forcing her eyes open and blinking against the bright morning sun, she stared at the ceiling while she contemplated the bizarre dream she had experienced last night. She had dreamed that Grimmy was a half cat, half human creature. A smile found its way to her lips when she remembered the date she had been on with Ichigo that had definitely not been a dream. She had drunk two glasses of red wine with dinner so that would explain the unbelievably weird dream. That settles it. No more wine with dinner and no more cats. Unless Grimmy returns.


	3. Chapter 3

Nami was sitting on a bench in the park across from the lab where she worked. Her lunch was beside her untouched in the brown paper bag since she was lost in deep thought about the two males in her life: the orange haired man who had taken her on their second date last night and the damn cat who kept mysteriously disappearing. She did not notice the man who sat down on the opposite end of the bench at first because she was concentrating on her mental ramblings. Ichigo had taken her to a fancy French restaurant last night, then for a walk in this very park where he took her in his arms by the fountain and –

"Excuse me," a deep, undoubtedly male voice said.

Nami felt her stomach clench with arousal from the voice alone. 'What the – oh my freakin' god,' she thought to herself, unable to keep her mouth from dropping open by what she saw. Without intentionally doing so, she leaned toward him as if she were being pulled by a magnet. Curiosity and his unmistakable sexual allure were pulling her in like a fisherman pulls in his catch. She assumed he must work at one of the offices in the area since he was dressed in a white button down shirt and gray trousers.

The blue haired man sitting beside her was looking at her with eyes the color of the sky while giving her a wide toothy grin. An ambient sexuality radiated off his body that made her weak. His amazingly blue eyes reminded her of someone but she could not quite place who. He leaned toward her and she had to move back or she would have planted her lips firmly against his.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' she questioned herself as her body trembled from the silent and thorough perusal of the handsome and stimulating stranger. How the hell can a woman be having a physical reaction like this? But something about him drew her, captured the attention of her mind and body, in a way she could not explain.

"I don't mean to be forward, but what is your name?" he inquired, that deep voice rolling through her body like the aftershocks from a rumble of thunder.

"Uh…um...it's…" Damn, what is it? "N-Nami."

"Nami. A wave. Warm, gentle, flowing," he virtually purred placing his large warm hand on her thigh. "I'd like to drown in you."

"Oh, sh-" Before she could finish, he pressed his finger to her lips to cut off the curse word. She panted as he stared at her, tracing her lips with his forefinger.

"Such a beautiful mouth should never speak such ugly words," he murmured, his tongue darting out to lick her cheek.

'Oh, god, I'm going to die. Right here, right now, of a heart attack,' her mind screamed while her heart quickened and beat loudly in her ears. She could feel a distinct warmth growing and a wetness forming between her legs. She liked Ichigo, he was incredibly handsome but her reaction to him had been nothing like this.

"Excuse me, you are indeed being… extraordinarily over-friendly. I don't even know your name," she huffed while trying to breathe. She knew she should run or at the least slap the hell out of him for being so presumptuous. What kind of man hits on a woman so brazenly in the park? Why wasn't she leaving and running for her life?

"Grimmjow," he blurted before checking himself.

Dammit! She was not stupid so what would she think of that? Surely she would make some kind of connection. Why couldn't he have thought of something completely different? He watched as her expression of confusion turned into one of contemplation like she had upon her face when he arrived. 'Hmmm…maybe she is that stupid,' he pondered silently as he watched her.

"What an odd name," she muttered reflectively, sliding across the bench as far away from him as possible. Her hip pressed against the decorative iron arm halting her retreat. "It reminds me of my cat, Grimmy."

'Oh, Nami, if you only knew. If I could only tell you. Dammit,' he brooded mutely, making a loud hissing sound for his screw up with his name.

Nami flinched upon hearing the sound because once again it reminded her of her cat. The eyes…that was it! How could a human remind her so much of her cat? What the hell is going on? Pressing her hand to her forhead, she was afraid she truly was losing her mind. The cat lady jokes were suddenly not funny anymore.

"It's nice to meet you, Nami. Are you going to eat this?" he inquired, pointing at her lunch that was now beside him. The scent of the ham sandwich inside was driving him crazy since he had not eaten in a few days.

"Oh, take it please. I'm not hungry anyway," she told him, wincing when he tore into the bag with animalistic hunger. "What are you? I-I mean who are you?" she stuttered, feeling her face flush with embarrassment from her Freudian slip.

_What are you? _That would be the perfect open door to explain...or at least _try_ to explain. Instead, like a craven scaredy-cat, he stopped with a mouthful of sandwich to just stare at her wondering what to say. He chewed a few more times before swallowing the half masticated mouthful.

"I already told you," he muttered, cramming the rest into his mouth. "Would you like to take me home?"

"Did you really just ask me that?" Nami demanded, beginning to grow irritated by the enticing but way too bold hunk of manliness sitting on the bench with her.

DAMN! Grimmjow cursed himself inaudibly. He had done it again. It was too easy for him to forget he was in his human form because he still had the same thoughts and impulses as when he was a cat. He was swiftly reminded of some of his other basic urges when his eyes drifted down her chest to the low V of her shirt that was unbuttoned enough to show a nice amount of cleavage. 'When did she start dressing like that?' he pondered, licking his lips while keeping his eyes on her slightly heaving breasts. Then he remembered that damn orange haired man. She had been out with him last night. He had to be the cause of this change in her. Biting down hard on his lower lip, a stabbing pain and a warm trickle of blood down his chin jogged his memory that his incisors were still incredibly sharp in his human form.

"Oh, my goodness!" Nami exclaimed when she saw the blood. She grabbed her purse and dug for her tissues while sliding over to him. Finally finding them, she snatched them out and pressed one to the line of blood flowing down his chin. Without thinking, she leaned forward to lick the blood from the edge of his lip.

"Nami," he gasped, grabbing her by the wrist of the hand that was dabbing at the blood.

"I don't know what came over me. I don't know why I did that," she whispered, unable to look away from his eyes. Her body started shaking and she closed her eyes when he leaned forward. They popped back open in surprise when she heard him sniffing her in rapid little inhales. 'How did I get here and where is this parallel universe?' she questioned herself. 'Why in the hell does this man remind me of my cat and why is he sniffing me? Just when I thought this guy could not possibly get any weirder.'

Grimmjow buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply. Sighing audibly with relief, he sat back with a big smile on his face. She was untainted; that man had not staked his claim on her yet by having sex with her. He had to move fast to win her heart and so far he was not off to great start. Guessing by the look on her face, all he had accomplished was scaring the hell out of her and making her think he was totally out of his mind.

"Nami, I'm sorry for acting so crazy and scaring you. I'm really not a bad guy. I've just been living a very isolated life and sometimes I forget how to act around people. Around a pretty woman such as yourself, I can just lose my head. I'm sorry," he apologized, running his fingers through her long brown hair.

Grimmjow resisted the urge to bring the hair up to his nose to smell it again. She had the most delightful scent of vanilla and lavender. Everything from her shampoo to her laundry detergent carried that scent. It permeated her body and it was stuck in his mind as being the scent of her and no one else. Nami – his Nami who loved him…but as a cat.

"Grimm…can I call you that?" she inquired, reaching up to run her fingers through his blue hair that was just a shade lighter than his eyes. It was so soft and silky, reminding her of the smoothness of Grimmy's fur. Looking into his eyes, she felt a spark within her that was something akin to recognition.

"I would love for you to call me that," he replied, giving her a big toothy grin as if he wanted to bite her.

"You're a really strange man," she giggled, looking at her watch. "Oh! I've got to get back to work."

"Can I see you here again tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'll meet you here for lunch. 'Bye!"

Grimmjow watched her trot through the park, enjoying the nice swing of the lovely hips that he knew so well. He had lain across those hips many times before as a cat. He also particularly enjoyed nestling his head between those breasts that she now displayed for other men to see. A growl erupted from deep in his throat. Tomorrow he would make it a point to not act like such a freak so she would not be afraid of him. He needed her to fall in love with him.

...

"Nami? Nami!" the blond headed flirt of a boss yelled at her to get her attention.

Kisuke Urahara had put off calling her back from whatever reverie she was lost in because standing above her he had a fantastic view down her shirt. He noticed that lately she was dressing a little sexier and made the assumption it must be a new boyfriend. The woman, who was usually so modest and tight assed he had joked with the other guys he could shove a lump of coal up her ass and it would become a diamond, had shocked him by loosening her buttons and raising the hems of her skirts. She no longer looked like a demure little mouse and seemed to be making some transformation into a sex kitten. He liked it and considered asking her out himself. However, his partner Mayuri Kurotsuchi would not approve of him dating one of the lowly paper pushers they hired to type up all of their research notes, requisition forms, and other meaningless paperwork. The man did not want him dating any of the employees, but he did anyway. Kurotsuchi had pushed for experimenting with monkeys first to teach them to type. Urahara insisted on having real women; they were prettier and smelled better so it was a win-win situation.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Urahara, how can I help you?" Nami inquired dutifully, her voice slightly breathy.

"I sure hope so, my dear. But first I must tell you that you look absolutely gorgeous today," he complimented, enjoying the light blush that spread across her cheeks. He was pleased how the company wallflower had really blossomed. Setting the thick stack of paperwork down on her desk, he decided he better get to work before that make up wearing freak Mayuri came to find him.

Nami smiled pleasantly at her boss with the light blond hair, cute face, and flirty grin. She had developed a crush on him soon after beginning work here. He had flirted mercilessly with every woman here except for her naturally. It did not surprise her but that did not keep it from hurting her feelings. She shrugged it off, telling herself she would not want the attention of a relentless Romeo speaking meaningless, flattering words to her constantly. Recently, her silly school girl crush had disappeared, and she was impervious to his flattery.

"I need you to get this typed up quickly for me. I should have brought it in here to you months ago so if anything is said, blame me," he told her, his gray eyes meeting her brown ones.

'Ah, so this is what it's like to be played,' she mused to herself as he stared longingly into her eyes. She would type the report without all of this crap if he would just hand it to her. It was her job after all. She had every intention of blaming him if someone tried to hang her out to dry over the late report.

"This is the information on that experiment that got loose right before you started working here. It's confidential so you can't say anything to anyone. Don't forget you did sign those disclosure papers when you began working here," he reminded her, turning very serious.

The lab required all employees to sign these 'gag orders' to ensure they would keep their mouths shut about what happens here. They handled high risk experiments sometimes, and this had been one of them. He had barely escaped with his life after this incident because Mayuri was determined to kill him for allowing this subject to escape from the lab. It had been a genetic triumph and somehow it had gotten loose. They had been searching ever since then and had yet to find it. There were no traces and no clues at all.

"Yes, Mr. Urahara, I'm well aware. I'm one of the few people who actually read the document before signing it," Nami snapped, unable to keep the annoyance from contaminating her voice.

"Oh, feisty," he hummed, licking his lips.

Nami sighed with aggravation when he lowered his eyelids in his patent sexy look he used just before asking a woman a wildly inappropriate question. She was not having that. Her experience in the wonderfully weird had begun and ended at lunch if she had anything to do with it. She decided it was best to stop him before he got started. "Mr. Urahara, I'd get this typed faster if you would leave me alone."

'Damn, what a smart ass. I want her so much right now,' he thought as his member leapt to life in his already tight jeans. How inconvenient – and painful. There was something different about her besides the way she dressed. What had made the change in her? This was more than getting laid by a new boyfriend. They had enhanced the experiment with pheromones and maybe there were some residual ones floating in the air around here. Whatever it was, he liked it.

Nami ignored him, pulling the stack of paperwork toward her. She would swear she heard him groan when she leaned over to retrieve the papers, but decided it best to ignore what she thought she heard and who she knew was still standing at her desk. Flipping through the short stack of papers swiftly, she tried to come up with an estimate of how long it might take to finish.

"I can have this done by the middle of next week," she said, gritting her teeth when he poked out his full bottom lip in a shameless pout.

"There's no way you can have it done by Friday?" Kisuke questioned her using his big charcoal gray eyes to the best of his ability to plead with her.

"Sir, it's already Wednesday and almost quitting time at that. The middle of next week," she repeated firmly, almost laughing at the disappointment registering on his face. It was not her fault he screwed up and she was not going to take the fall for him either. She had watched too many gullible assistants fall prey to his charms and they no longer worked here. That was not going to happen to her.

"Oh, all right. Have it on my desk first thing Wednesday morning," he conceded, verbally waving the white flag. She was tougher than he had thought.

Nami smiled happily to herself, proud that she had stuck to her proverbial guns. Where had that burst of self-confidence and bravery come from? Her mind thought back to the strange encounter during lunch. She had felt so powerless and mesmerized by the amazingly beautiful blue haired man. If she had not quit believing in fairy tales so long ago she would have thought she had been under a spell, _his_ spell. Shaking her head, she scanned over the information in the papers, curious as to what experiment could have gotten loose. A white cat? How interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

Nami was looking forward to lunch for more reasons than just seeing the enticing stranger again. Her morning had been spent typing part of the report Kisuke had dropped on her desk yesterday. So far nothing made sense from the paper because it was so filled with medical jargon it made her brain hurt. It was a detailed account of the gene splicing and 'enhancements' that had been made to the cat including injecting it with human DNA. It terrified her and made her physically ill to think of the implications of what Urahara and Kurotsuchi were doing. They were playing God and taking a chance on ruining lives as well as creating an abomination. It was too much for her to comprehend. If there had been a full disclosure of the nature of their work on their part before she took the job, she would most likely not be working there.

"Oh, damn," Nami gasped, seeing the handsome blue haired man located near the bench they were sitting on yesterday.

He was standing beneath the massive oak tree, staring up at something. While his attention was diverted, her eyes took the time to study his behind that was nicely displayed in the tight jeans he wore. The material was stretched across his muscular thighs as well giving her more of a hint of just how built he was as if her imagination had not already filled in the blanks for her. She would have to make sure to keep her eyes on his and never allow them to drift below his waist while he was wearing those obscenely yet delectably body-hugging jeans. What the hell was wrong with her? She pressed her hand to her forehead, willing the lecherous thoughts from her mind.

Grimmjow watched the squirrel hop from branch to branch but managed to curb the desire to climb the tree to get it. His tongue played with the sharp point of one of his prominent incisors while he reminded himself that it was okay for a cat to have a squirrel snack but not a human. It was certainly not acceptable to race up the tree and catch it.

"Grimm?" Nami called, biting her lip to restrain the laugh that wanted to burst forth.

She had startled him, causing him to flinch and whirl around to stare at her with gigantic blue eyes. He looked guilty as if he had been caught doing something he should not be doing. Holding out the second paper bag to him, she gave him the offering she had brought so they could eat lunch together. After yesterday, she decided to be prepared by bringing him some food because she did not feel like sharing today. Her appetite was back with a vengeance. Her sleep last night had been invaded with unexpected dreams of uninhibited sex with the blue haired stranger. She also dreamed about the return of her much-loved and undependable companion Grimmy. Sometimes the thoughts had melded, creating a half human half cat creature that exuded a sexiness and allure that made her feel just plain weird.

Grimmjow had spread a blanket on the ground in anticipation of their picnic. He had stolen it from someone's clothesline along with the clothes he was wearing. He was thankful very few households in her neighborhood owned electric clothes dryers otherwise he had no idea where he would find his clothes. He was developing a rather extensive wardrobe by 'borrowing' from the neighbors that he kept in a hiding place in her attic that he called his home. His attic haven was convenient and comfortable on many levels; he was warm and protected from the weather and other dangers. He could also keep a watchful eye on her. He had heard her on the phone last night making plans for a date this weekend. It was his duty to keep that from happening. But how?

Nami carefully sat down on the blanket, folding her legs modestly to the side since she was wearing a skirt. She smiled at him sheepishly, lowering her eyes after a fleeting moment of eye contact. Her mind was filled with flashbacks from her dreams, and she was unable to look at him without blushing or grinning like an idiot. Opening her bag, she took out the sandwich and its accompaniments, laying them on the blanket in front of her.

Grimmjow watched her then copied her movements. No one had ever taught him to be human. He had just made guesses as to what to do by observing others at a distance. She would be the first person he had gotten up close to and intended to form a relationship with while in his human form. Humans scared him. Sometimes he had these strange and frightening images that filled his mind; just flickers that did not make sense such as men wearing masks that obscured their faces, long sharp needles, blinding lights, and metal cages. Shaking his head, he wanted to rid himself of the memories.

"Grimm, what's wrong?" Nami asked, her eyes meeting his and lingering this time. She was on her knees and leaning across the blanket to touch him.

"Nothing," he lied, taking comfort in the hand pressed against his cheek.

"All right," she responded, seeing the hurt in his eyes. Not knowing what questions to ask, she decided to allow the subject to drop as she sat back on her feet. "Let's eat then."

"This is really good," he mumbled around the mouthful of tuna sandwich in his mouth. He smiled at her when she chuckled at him. He loved that sound.

"So when you said you led a very isolated life, what did you mean?" she inquired, gingerly picking at her food and putting it in her mouth. Watching him eat with the feral voracity he showed was enough to make anyone lose their appetite.

Grimmjow proceeded to stuff his mouth while trying to come up with a plausible excuse. 'I skulk around in the shadows and hide because I'm afraid of people since I'm some kind of beast I don't understand would not be a good explanation,' he contemplated silently. "I'm just a drifter. I move from place to place getting by however I can," he explained as vaguely as possible.

"Oh, I see. So you do odd jobs? Like fix things around people's houses or helping them with problems?" she inquired a little bit excitedly.

"I can. Why?" he asked apprehensively, poking at the potato chips in the bag.

"I have a few little things that need to be fixed and an old shed that needs to be cleaned out. I also think I have rats in the attic. I keep hearing these noises up there late at night," she said, shivering a bit. "I would swear sometimes I hear breathing. But I couldn't hear rat's breath right? It must just be them moving around."

Grimmjow immediately perked up and stared at her. This was too good to be true. She had opened a door for him into her life no matter what form he was in. "I'd be more than happy to help you. I have to warn you that I will disappear sometimes for a while. I just can't help myself you know? But I'll always come back," he assured her.

"Damn, you remind me of my cat," she muttered, glaring at him. Her eyes moved to his and she noticed how he quickly averted his gaze. "So if I give you my address, will you come by and help me?"

"Of course," he responded happily then remembered his time in human form was almost up. "It will be about two weeks from now though, but I'll be there."

"Oh, all right," she sighed dejectedly, giving in to the ridiculous urge to pout.

"Nami," he called, crawling to her on all fours.

Nami held her breath and stared into his eyes as he moved toward her with cat-like graceful movements. She began to shake with excitement and just a little trepidation when he came nose to nose with her. Her breath was reduced to irregular, rapid inhales. She wanted him to kiss her but was not sure what the unpredictable man had on his mind to do to her.

"You believe me don't you? I'll be back. I promise," he reassured her, nuzzling her nose before allowing his cheek to graze against hers.

It couldn't be…it just couldn't be. Nami refused to allow her mind to connect the dots in the array it was forming. The connections it wanted to make were just crazy and stupid. She would have to read that report more thoroughly while she was typing it, but the possibility was just so…unbelievable. "I believe you," she croaked unable to speak much louder or clearer.

"I'll return to you," he stated with resolve. He cupped her cheek with his hand, running his thumb over her lips to prevent himself from kissing her. He would return to her very soon but in a different form.

~\..'../~

* * *

"Yeah, but I don't see what the big deal is. Isn't it just the natural progression of things?" Ichigo demanded grouchily, scowling at Nami.

Ichigo was arguing with her. He had come to her house for dinner. After dinner, their pleasant conversation had taken a decidedly bad turn when he brought up the subject of how to proceed with their relationship. He wanted to officially become a couple; she did not which had been unexpected and dismaying to him. How does a man kiss a woman like he had kissed her and still call her a friend?

"The big deal is I'm not sure if I'm ready for a relationship. I thought we were just friends. I didn't know women weren't allowed to feel that way," Nami retorted, snatching his plate from in front of him.

"I wasn't done with that," he informed her as pleasantly as possible despite his rising annoyance.

He almost ducked for cover under the table when she hurled his plate back at him. Shockingly enough, the impact with the table had not broken it. What the hell was wrong with her? She had seemed so pleasant and kind. Where had this raging lunatic come from? He had asked to be her boyfriend and not her husband so why was she overreacting?

Nami carefully set her plate down in the sink. She was not sure why his request for an advancement in their relationship had triggered so much irrational anger in her. Hanging her head, she allowed the deep sigh to gush noisily from her lips. She jumped in surprise when she felt his strong hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. Just tell me why you're so upset," he requested, kissing her below her earlobe while he massaged her shoulders.

"I don't want to discuss that right now," she murmured, turning to him. She put her arms around his neck, looking into his toasty brown eyes that made her feel warm inside. "It's because of my past. Not you. I'm sorry too."

Nami pulled his mouth down to hers, standing on her tiptoes so he would not have to lean down so far to kiss her. Parting her lips slightly, she accepted his searching tongue into her mouth. Blue invaded her mind's eye; blue eyes, blue hair, and tight, tight blue jeans.

"Oh, god," she gasped breaking the kiss with Ichigo.

"Mmmm…me too," he mumbled, sliding his hands down to her behind to grab it.

Nami gulped, clutching onto his arms as he kneaded her butt with his strong fingers. "No, Ichigo, not that. It's…" Her words trailed off when she attempted to formulate a way to tell him that she was interested in someone else; a stranger really who she did not even know his last name or anything else about him.

"What then? There's someone else?" he guessed, keeping his face expressionless while the hurt registered in his eyes.

"I never said I wanted to be more than friends," she muttered pathetically in her defense. It pained her heart to know that she had injured him emotionally. For him to look so brave and tough, he had a heart of glass.

"All right. I can honor that," Ichigo conceded. There was no reason to argue anymore because he could not make her want more from him. "Just friends."

Grimmjow allowed the grin of joy and triumph to cross his face. From his hiding place beneath the kitchen window, he had heard the whole thing. He was once again in his half and half form. Later, when she was in bed, he would sneak down from his secret abode to see her. It was time for her to see him in all of different forms.

...

Nami lay awake listening. She could hear the discreet scuffling in the attic. Picturing giant rodents with scary big teeth, she shivered and pulled her sheets up over her head. Concentrating on the sound of her breathing, she fell asleep.

...

Grimmy carefully peeled back the covers to see her. She was wearing his favorite pajamas with the light blue tank top and fuzzy dark blue sleep pants with light blue crescent moons on them. Familiarity had made him grow bold. She had seen him in two forms and accepted him. Why not all of them? He could tell by her face when they had lunch together in the park that she had fit the puzzle pieces together but purposely closed her eyes to keep from seeing the finished picture. Lying down on the bed next to her, he put his paw on her chest. Studying her with his typical curious feline fascination, he moved his face close to hers to inhale her familiar scent. He grunted when she clasped his paw, moving her other hand up his arm.

"Grimmy stop breathing on me, it tickles," she admonished him, her hand sliding up his shoulder to bury itself in his long hair. She snickered when he began to purr because it vibrated her chest.

Grimmy dipped his head, licking her cheek. He mewed softly when her fingers moved over his furry ears, tugging them slightly before she scratched behind them.

"Nami," he whispered in a rough voice.

"I know what you are," she murmured, sliding her arms around his neck to pull his head between her breasts.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, unsure if he had heard her correctly. Pulling his head up to look at her, he was happy to see that she was still asleep.

"You're the one I love," she mumbled drowsily, raking her fingers through his long hair.

Grimmy settled his head back down on her chest, reveling in her affection as she stroked across his shoulders and back. His paws worked gently in contentment on her chest as she petted him. He was careful not to extend his claws so he would not scratch her. Puckering his lips, he pressed them against her heart to feel its rhythmic cadence. She loved him. The admission had made his heart skip a beat then commence to thumping so hard with happiness he thought it would free itself from his chest. Curling his big half human body around hers, he fell asleep with his head on her chest while she petted him.


	5. Chapter 5

Nami was sitting at her desk daydreaming instead of typing the report that was due in two days. Her fingers played across her lips as she recalled the dream she had last night. Visions of blue had danced in her head all night long, mostly dominated by thoughts of the less than a human, more than an animal creature. She halfway expected to wake up with him beside her some of it was so real. Rubbing her hands together, she recalled the softness of his humungous hand sized paws that were incredibly gentle when he touched her. Sighing softly, she shook her head. With a private smile she chided herself once again for becoming a crazy cat lady. If his pattern held true, Grimmy would be returning to her tonight.

"Nami," Kisuke called in his sing song voice.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. Forcing herself to plaster on a sunny smile, she managed to look like a clueless dingbat. She hoped her ability to look stupid prevented him from asking too many questions.

Kisuke smiled at the overly happy Nami holding her gaze instead of allowing his eyes to drift down to her shirt that could actually stand to be buttoned up a little more but it was not like he was going to complain. He propped one butt cheek on the corner of her desk as he folded his arms across his chest.

"How's that report coming?" he asked, permitting his eyes to rove downward when she turned her attention to the computer.

"Just fine, sir. I will have it ready when I said," she assured him, shuffling the pages to find the correct place to begin.

"Nami, can I take you out to lunch?" he inquired getting to his point without wasting any more time.

"No," she answered curtly, finding her spot to start typing.

"Aw, come on! It's just lunch," he whined, hopping off her desk.

"It's never just lunch with you," she muttered, typing like a madwoman.

"Please," he begged, turning his deep gray puppy dog eyes on her.

'I like cats, not dogs,' she almost told him but figured the double meaning would be lost on him. He might also assume she was a lesbian which would only excite him further. Huffing loudly, Nami glared at him but his eyes were focused on her chest.

"Was there anything else you needed, sir?" she questioned him, purposely folding her arms under her breasts to push them up to indulge his perversion.

"Uh, no, that will be all," he responded nervously, before taking his leave.

Nami speculated he would have to take a lengthy stop at the restroom to take care of something that had suddenly popped. Astounded but amused by her wildly perverse thought, she snorted when she tried to suppress her laughter. Her phone buzzed and began to vibrate across the desk. It was a text from Ichigo inviting her to lunch. Smiling to herself, she typed back an acceptance of the invitation.

~...~

"I really am sorry about the other night," Nami told him, reaching across the table to touch his hand.

"I shouldn't have tried to force you further than you were ready to go in our relationship," Ichigo rejoined, taking her hand into his to hold it.

"I'm glad you understand. I like you. I really do," she said, trying to explain her feelings which she did not fully understand herself.

"But?" he helpfully prompted her.

"But there's just something holding me back," she added not wanting to admit what that something was.

"If Grimmy comes back why don't you meet me and Renji at the park on Saturday?" he inquired, letting go of her hand.

"Sure. Hey, I can even bring a picnic lunch. We never did have that picnic," she stated jokingly reminding him of when she had asked him out.

"That's true. And that was your idea. That sounds great," he said, giving her one of his smiles that still warmed her heart.

~...~

* * *

"Meowr, meowr, meowr," Grimmy called, pawing at the back door.

"Right on time," Nami announced, opening the door for him. She had already filled his food and water bowls because she knew he would be famished. "Come on in, you two timer."

"Mew!" he mewled, rubbing against her legs.

"Yeah, yeah, cuteness gets you everywhere. Go eat," she ordered him, watching him pad across the kitchen floor to his bowls. "I'll be in the living room."

Nami took her usual position of lying on the couch to watch television. She did not move when minutes later he came into the room and hopped onto her belly. A giggle escaped her when he rubbed his cheek against hers. Scratching him behind his ears, she looked into his fabulously blue eyes.

"Is it really you? Can it be?" she asked the cat, stroking him down his long body. He meowed as if responding to her before he licked her cheek like he was confirming her question.

Nami continued to pet him, allowing herself to believe it. Her mind starting recalling information from the report detailing the experiments on him. What would be the repercussions of this? If this cat truly was a hybrid of feline and human DNA, a real life werecat, how would he be expected to live? A _normal_ life would be an impossibility. How long would it be before Kisuke and Mayuri found him? What kind of experiments would they perform on him when they did? How could any of this possibly be true?

Sighing heavily, Nami continued to pet the cat while pushing the thoughts out of her mind. It was all too weird to try to come to terms with it in one night.

~\0/~

* * *

Nami saw Ichigo from across the park and waved as she approached with the picnic basket. She saw the rusty brown shiba inu sitting beside him that must be his beloved dog, Renji. Setting down the basket on the bench, she knelt down on the ground in front of the dog to be greeted with a sloppy wet kiss.

"Hey, there!" she giggled, petting his head as he continued to try to lick her.

"Renji! Stop that! Down!" Ichigo ordered, pointing at the ground with a scowl on his face.

The friendly dog whined plaintively then did as he was told by lying down on the ground. He rested his head on his front paws, looking up with big brown eyes.

"Aw, Ichigo, it was okay. He was just saying hello," she pled for him, siding with the dejected looking canine who turned his pitiful, suppliant eyes on her.

"I'm just jealous. I would like to do that to you but you won't let me," he kidded her, hugging her briefly to greet her while she chuckled.

"You silly thing. Who knows? Once of these days I just might let you lick me all over," she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph," he snorted like a grumpy old man. "I won't hold my breath."

"Awww, poor baby," she muttered, reaching out to ruffle his spikes like she was placating a pouting child.

"Wanna play?" he asked Renji, pulling a tennis ball out of his pocket.

The dog hopped to his feet and his tail that curled into a tight circle on his back began to wiggle happily. Ichigo threw the ball and he took off after it, thrilled and joyful once again.

"Did your cat come home?" Ichigo inquired while they were waiting for the dog to return with the ball.

"Yep. Right on time. I suppose this is just how it's going to be with that damn cat," she sighed, bending down to pick up the drool covered ball the dog laid at her feet.

"Turncoat," he snapped at the dog, smiling when she threw the ball. "That's why I prefer dogs. They're always there. Right by your side. Faithful, dependable, loving…kind of like some men, you know."

"Yeah. Then there is the other type of man that's like my cat," she returned, catching his drift that he was hinting at his attributes more than the dog's. "Disloyal, undependable, two-timing…the kind of man like my father."

"Not all men are like your father," he spat out a little more vehemently than he meant to. "I'm not like your father."

"I know," she mumbled, thankful for the distraction of the dog as he trotted back to her.

"Do you think you'll ever want me as more than a friend?" he asked, grasping her by the arm to get her attention.

"I honestly don't know," Nami answered, finding it hard to breathe as she stared into his eyes. She tried to protest but her words were cut off by his lips pressing to hers for a passionate kiss. Her fingers twisted into his hair and she sighed into his mouth when his tongue invaded hers.

A white streak appeared from the nearby bushes, darting between them. Ichigo backed away from Nami, both of them staring in the direction it ran.

"What the hell was that?" Ichigo balked, staring at the tree up which it had ran.

"I have an idea," she muttered, walking to the tree. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she gazed up into the branches until she saw her cat sitting on a limb, flicking his tail angrily as he stared down at her. "You bad thing! You came to join the picnic as an invited guest."

Nami jumped in surprise when Renji barked in aggravation. She looked down at the dog who placed his front paws against the trunk and was staring up at the cat as if he had discovered a new chew toy. She patted his head when let out several more angry barks. Grimmy arched his back, hissing and spitting at the canine.

"Good doggie. If he comes down, eat him. You have my permission," she said, turning to be face to face with a very amused Ichigo.

"So would that give new meaning to the phrase eating pu-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't be so filthy," she admonished him but could not stop herself from laughing.

"Speaking of eating, I'm starving. What did you bring me?"

Nami wordlessly took Ichigo by the hand, leading him back to the basket. She spread the blanket on the ground beneath a tree other than the one her cat was hiding in. Bending over to smooth out the corners, she yelped in surprise when her companion grabbed her hips and pressed himself against her behind.

"Ichigo!" she shrieked, falling to her knees on the blanket with him hanging on to her. She gave in to the fit of giggles he stirred up by tickling her.

After rolling around a bit on the blanket with her trying to get away from his relentlessly probing fingers over her ribs, they came to a stop with him lying half way on top of her. Nami pressed her hands to his face while looking into his eyes. She could see now that this man was going to make life hard for her. He was not going to give up in his pursuit of trying to make her fall for him. Her eyes fluttered closed as he lowered his lips to hers once again.

"Nooooo!" the cat howled from his hiding place.

"Shutup, Grimmy!" they yelled in unison.

Nami pushed Ichigo off of her since the cat had ruined the moment.

Grimmy sat in the tree watching them, his tail still swishing in his highly agitated state. It was time to step things up a bit.

~\..'../~

* * *

Nami was sitting in her kitchen eating her breakfast when there was a knock on her front door. She was greeted with a spectacular vision of Grimmjow dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt.

"I told you I'd be here," he proclaimed with a wide grin.

"Come in," she said, moving aside so he could step in past her. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," he answered enthusiastically, following her into the kitchen.

Nami handed him her plate containing the rest of her omelet then went to the refrigerator to take out the ingredients to prepare him another one. She set the pan on the stove to heat up while she beat the eggs and dared to watch him eat.

"What would you like for me to do first?" Grimmjow asked, shoveling in the food greedily.

"You're going to give yourself indigestion eating like that. It won't run away. Slow down," she scolded him, pouring the beaten eggs into the skillet.

"It's really good," he complimented around the mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she reproved, sprinkling cheese over the eggs.

"Yes, mom," he muttered.

"Don't be a smart ass," she snapped, carefully folding the fluffy eggs so she did not turn it into scrambled eggs. She smiled cheerily enjoying their lighthearted banter.

"Yes, dear," he returned.

Nami turned with the plate in her hand just in time to see him wipe the smile off of his face. It was strange how they seemed to pick right up where they left off as if no time or distance had passed between them. She was comfortable with him but elated by his presence at the same time. Despite his obvious social awkwardness and sometimes just plain weirdness, she liked him. Maybe it was actually those things that made him endearing to her. He was a unique and bizarre mix of overt masculine sexuality with an innocent, childlike personality.

"I would like for you to fix a leak on the roof first. It's supposed to start raining this afternoon," she said, handing him the full plate and taking the empty one.

"Okay. I'll start right after breakfast."

~...~

"Ow! Dammit!" Grimmjow howled in agony after hammering his thumb for the fifth time instead of the nail.

"Are you all right up there? Are you sure you can do this?" she asked with some concern for his physical well-being.

Nami screamed when Grimmjow suddenly dropped down from the roof right in front of her. "ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU JUMPED OFF THE ROOF!" she hollered at the top of her lungs while he looked at her with amusement that made his blue eyes sparkle mischievously.

"I'm fine. Roof's fixed," he notified her hoping it would distract her. Once again he had forgotten normal human beings could not and should not do the things he can do.

"I think that's enough for the day. Besides, it looks like the rain is moving in," she said, looking up at the darkening sky while pulling her sweater around her body more securely. "Come inside. I'll fix you some lunch."

Grimmjow struggled to contain his enthusiasm over the possibility of snuggling up with her. Rainy days with her had always been his favorite. She would curl up on the couch to read a book while drinking hot cocoa or hot tea. He would lie on her feet to keep her warm or wiggle his way into her lap so she would pet him while reading. Disappointment flooded him when he realized he could not do that today, but he would think of something to get close to her.

~...~

"Here," Nami said, pushing the steaming mug of hot chocolate into his hands.

"Thank you," Grimmjow responded politely, surprised when she sat down beside him and leaned against him.

Nami stared out of the window, watching the rain fall outside. She always loved rainy days. Sighing wistfully, she thought of Grimmy. Lifting her mug to her lips to hide her lascivious grin, she realized she had something much better to keep her company on this drizzly afternoon. She felt him shift behind her and leaned up so he could make himself comfortable. When she leaned back, she was able to recline against his strong chest.

"Is that better?" he asked, nuzzling her head. He allowed himself a brief sniff to inhale her scent before he creeped her out again by going too far.

"It's perfect," Nami sighed, taking comfort in the regular rising and falling of his chest as he breathed.

She no longer felt the need to be hesitant around him. Unadulterated curiosity was pushing her to explore the possibility of what could occur between them. A smile tilted her lips when she thought about how openly and outlandishly he had expressed his interest in her from the moment she met him. Her skin prickled with exhilaration then rose into goose bumps when he stroked her cheek and neck with his fingertips.

"Mmmm…Grimm," she sighed, leaning up slightly to set her mug on the coffee table. His touch was amazingly relaxing and she did not want to fall asleep with the cup of hot liquid in her hands.

Grimmjow did the same so he could have both hands free to touch her. When she was comfortable on his chest again, he resumed stroking her cheek, then her neck, allowing his hand to roam over her shoulder and down her arm.

Nami sighed with contentment, turning on her side to snuggle into him. His warmth and gentle movements coupled with the steady beat of the rain on the roof were making her drowsy. His chest vibrated beneath her cheek and she knew he was about to speak.

"Nami, there's something I need to tell you," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"What is it?" she yawned, feeling her body growing heavy.

"There's something very important I need to tell you about me. Please don't be afraid of me, but I'm –" He stopped when he heard a soft snore from the woman in his arms. Unbelievable. He finally works up the nerve to tell her and she falls asleep. Holding her tightly in his arms, he decided to give into the delightful sleepiness that had been trying to overtake him as well. He would confess another day. Maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

Nami softly knocked on the door of Kisuke Urahara's office with the paper copy of the report in her hand. She had also emailed a copy of the file to him. Although she had read through it a dozen times, she wanted a copy of it for herself and had made one on a disc which was stashed safely in her purse. Her body shuddered slightly when Kisuke bid her to come in. She did not want to work here anymore but she could not quit. What would her bosses think if they knew she was harboring their lost and very valuable subject at her home?

"I finished that report," she announced laying the document on his desk. "I emailed the copy to you."

"Thank you, my dear. I'm sure you did an excellent job. Could I take you out to dinner to show my appreciation for your hard work?" he inquired suggestively, getting up from his chair.

"A simple thank you is fine," she told him, swiftly backing toward the door. She made a high pitched squeaking noise when instead of opening the door she was pushed against it after his hand pushed the door closed over her shoulder.

"Surely there's something more I could do to express my appreciation," he murmured, allowing his nose to graze hers.

Nami pressed her body against the door despite the fact it would not put any distance whatsoever between their bodies. She held her breath as his lips hovered over hers. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the man who was waiting for her at her house. She had left him a list of silly, inconsequential things to do, mostly to keep him around as well as to keep him busy. If his personality stayed the same in all forms, he was bound to get bored which could lead to trouble. The one time she had left him in the house as a cat, she came home to a mess that rivaled the disarray after an explosion. Her plants had been turned over and dirt was scattered throughout the house. Her throw pillows on the couch had been shredded in his ennui. He had also knocked off and broken every ceramic knick knack from her bookshelves not to mention the books he had used as scratching posts. She could only imagine what havoc he could whip up in his human form.

"I don't know what it is about you, but I find you irresistible," he murmured, sincerely mystified by his attraction. His forefinger drifted over her cheek and down to her lips. "Every time I'm around you, I find myself wanting you."

"Oh, it must be the lingering androstenol in the lab," she muttered, gingerly pushing against his chest while she turned her head to avoid his kiss.

"Androstenol? That was an oddly specific reference," he said, backing away from her. Androstenol is the pheromone responsible for stimulating the hypothalamus which in turn prompts mating behavior.

"Well, I did read the report while typing it, sir. What choice did I have?" she remarked curtly, brushing off her clothes as if he had soiled her physically with his dirty thoughts.

"Hmmm…" he murmured, considering her through half lidded eyes. "You're a very interesting woman indeed Nami."

"Well, sir, I'll be leaving now," she stated nervously, getting out of his office as fast as she could. She would have to find a new job…very soon.

~\..'../~

* * *

Grimmjow lay in the bed of the guest room in Nami's house. His hands were behind his head, the fingers interlaced, while he stared at nothing in the dark. This was his last night as a human before he returned to being a Halfling in this ongoing cycle he was powerless to stop. He has been with her for five days, diligently performing every menial task she had requested him to do. A smile tilted his lips when he came to the realization today that she was grasping at straws to find any kind of meaningless chore for him to complete to keep him with her. He had not worked up the nerve again to tell her his humungous little secret. His sensitive ears immediately picked up her otherwise soundless movements on the other side of the door seconds before she tentatively tapped on the door.

"Grimm? Are you awake?" Nami inquired, pushing open the door just a bit since it was not completely closed.

"No. I'm talking to you in my sleep," he answered, hearing her snicker lightly. "Come on in. I can't sleep."

Nami carefully made her way into the room with her hands outstretched in front of her as if she could feel her way through the darkness. She knew he could see her with no problem whatsoever but she did not have his feline night vision. A gasp of surprise leapt from her lips when his hand reached into the seeming endless void of night and grasped hers, pulling her to the bed. She sat down beside him on the bed, startled to feel he had thrown back the covers to invite her underneath with him.

"It's cold. You have to stay warm," he explained, gliding his hand up her cool bare arm as if to convince her.

Nami bit her lip when his excessively heated hand slid over her chilled skin. She turned to place her back against the headboard, edging close to him until their hips touched. Her heart was pounding too hard and too fast, causing her blood to flow so intensely through her veins she could practically feel it. She turned to him, inhaling noisily when her hand pressed against his bare chest.

"Nami," he whispered in the dark, the low sound as deafening as thunder in her ears.

"I know what you really are," she whispered back, leaning toward him until her chest pressed against his.

"What do you mean?" Grimmjow asked, raising his hand to comb his fingers through her soft hair. He stared at her with his exceptional vision, guiding her lips to his when she leaned forward searchingly.

"I know you're not fully human," she answered, pressing her lips to his.

Nami could not breathe when her lips contacted his. She did not pull back when his exceedingly long incisor scraped across her lip. When the sharp point nicked her lower lip, she pushed back the blanket to straddle his lap. Her hands pressed against his cheeks as she held his face to keep him from pulling away apprehensively. The coppery taste of her own blood reached her tongue as she slid it over her bleeding lip.

Grimmjow separated his lips when the tip of her tongue pressed against his lower lip. He tasted the metallic tang of her blood from her tongue and it excited him. His arms moved around her, pulling her tightly against him as he sucked on her tongue slightly to receive more of the flavor of her very life force.

Nami could not help but notice the hard lump that grew beneath her and she shifted to scrape across it. Her body responded with a flood of warmth on the inside like a tangible flow of hot water across her skin. She pushed her fingers into his silky hair resorting to stroking him like a cat. She tore her lips from his with a gasp when his chest vibrated against her breasts as he began to purr in a loud, rumbling sound like when he was a cat.

"I knew it was you, Grimmy," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss him again.

"What did you say?" he queried not believing his own ears despite his heightened sense of hearing. He held her at arm's length, staring at her face that was completely tranquil. Why wasn't she screaming or freaking out in some way?

"I know what you are. I work as an administrative clerk at the lab where you were created. I've read the whole disturbing report. I know what they did to you. I know how you were made," she explained, unable to see his stunned expression in the dark. "I made the connection a while back but I could not believe it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Grimmjow questioned her, tracing her face with his fingertips.

"The same reason you didn't tell me," she countered smartly. "I was shocked, overwhelmed, and just plain scared. I felt a number of confusing emotions." She touched the tip of his finger with her tongue as he traced her lips. Her body was inundated with arousal when he inhaled harshly from the contact. She sighed as he raised his hips into her while pulling her down on top of him.

"I tried to tell you. I really did. Can you accept me? The way I am?" he asked, pressing his lips against the throbbing vein in her neck.

"I already have. Don't leave me again," Nami begged him, pulling his head back to kiss his lips briefly.

"If you want me, despite what I am, I will stay with you," he rejoined, pulling her lips to his.

"Oh, Grimmy," she murmured before pressing her lips against his for another passionate kiss.

Grimmjow held her against his chest feeling two hard bumps rise where her breasts were flattened to his body. Pushing her back, he slid his hands under the edge of her tank top, pulling it up her body, and over her head. His eyes greedily roamed over her breasts that he had seen many times before but had never been able to touch…at least not with his human hands. He cupped the round globes, one in each hand, pleased with how perfectly they fit into his palms. With shy, experimental curiosity, he rubbed his thumbs over the pink nipples and watched them draw into tight little peaks. His member twitched upon hearing her gasp.

"Did that feel good?" he asked with open inquisitiveness.

Grimmjow stared at her lovely face as she nodded silently since she was aware that he could see her in the dark. His eyes stayed on her face when he scraped his thumbs over the rigid nubs again. The expression of lustful rapture on her face goaded him to lower his head to lick one. He liked the feel of it against his tongue and he particularly liked her reaction of rubbing her body across his aching member. Tentatively taking the hardened peak between his lips, he sucked lightly, holding her firmly with his arms around her waist when she jumped and thrust her hips against him.

"Oh, god, Grimm," she moaned, sliding her fingers through his hair.

Nami's hand drifted down his chest as he continued to tease her nipple with his tongue, making her body feel hot and prickly from arousal. She pushed her fingers against his hard abdomen, sliding them beneath the waistband of his boxer shorts. The speculation of where he could possibly be getting all of his clothes invaded her mind, but then she quickly skipped it because she did not care at this time.

"NAMI!" he yelled in astonishment and pleasure when her fingers grasped his long, hard rod. He seized her by the upper arms, gaping at her in amazement. It felt so incredibly good for her to touch him…to touch _it_.

"Calm down, sweetie," she giggled, stroking him lightly.

"Oh, Nami," he groaned, laying his head on her chest.

Nami held his head against her, her body feeling the distinct heat and heaviness of yearning gathering in the pit of her stomach. She wanted him but she wondered how he would react. Shifting on top of him, she felt him tighten his grip on her to keep her from moving.

"Let me go and I'll do something you will like even more. Take off your underwear," she instructed him, easing off of his lap to remove her pajama bottoms and underwear.

"What are you doing?" he asked when she climbed back on his lap, holding his member in her hand.

"We're going to have sex and you're going to love it," she whispered into his ear, sliding her body down on top of him.

Grimmjow held onto her waist, feeling sensations coursing through his body he had never experienced before. It felt fantastic being inside of her body. She was wet and warm and caused a tingling, pleasurable sensation to ripple across his body every time she moved. She was right; he liked it...A LOT.

Nami covered his mouth with hers moving her hips in lazy circles. She was careful to avoid his sharp incisors this time not really wanting to cut her tongue or her lip again when she carefully pushed her tongue between his lips. A short, gasping sound escaped her when he tightened his arms around her so hard it prevented her from breathing.

"Grimm, stop! You're hurting me!" she gasped, pushing against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It just…it just feels so…oh, god," he moaned, moving her up and down on him faster. "Damn, it's nice. I do love it."

Nami placed her hands on his broad, strong shoulders assisting him with moving her body. She lowered her lips to his ear whispering, "It isn't just nice, it is fan-fucking-tastic. Pun totally intended."

"Nami!" he exclaimed, shocked from her suddenly dirty mouth. He had never heard her say anything more outrageous than the occasional damn or hell. Her filthy outburst was sordidly exciting. He felt a tightening at the base of his member as the blissful feelings spiraled higher through his body.

Nami could hear the hitch in his breathing and knew he was getting close. She kissed him fleetingly wrapping her arms around his neck. Moving her body with reckless abandon, she drove him to a climax that left him shaking and convulsing beneath her. Once he stopped moving, she used her fingers to explore every muscle on his chest and abdomen. Occasionally he would emit a soft groan as she blindly surveyed his body with the sense of touch being her only guide. It was quite interesting and stimulating, not only to her but to him as well. She could feel him growing with her body as she patiently investigated every available inch of his skin.

"My love," Grimmjow murmured, bringing her lips to his for a gentle kiss. "Can I do it again?"

"Oh, yes, please do," she accepted happily, kissing him again.

"Can I do it a different way?" he asked tentatively, brushing his fingers through her hair as if he were petting her.

"Sure. Tell me how," she offered compliantly.

"Get on your hands and knees," he requested, kissing the rounded top of her breast.

Nami did as he wished, biting her lower lip in anticipation when she felt him press his thighs against hers. She moaned his name when he carefully pushed himself inside of her before leaning over her body to completely cover her. The slight sway of his hips pushed her whole body beneath him causing a bit of friction as their bodies glided together. His tenderness with her was enthralling and charming, exciting both her body and her emotions. She reveled in the pleasure and intimacy of having him take her like this.

Grimmjow held back as long as he could before the bliss became too much, and he felt another impending climax. Holding onto her hips, he rammed himself into her until he experienced that amazing, mind blowing release again. He held her as she jerked and writhed beneath him. Fear blossomed within him that he had inadvertently hurt her a second time when she cried out his name in a doleful manner.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, rolling her over to see her face.

"Oh, no, not at all," she panted, reaching for him to pull him down on top of her. "You did quite the opposite."

"I love you," he declared, nuzzling her cheek before rubbing his against it.

"I love you too," she replied without hesitation. She had already loved him for a while by this time.


	7. Chapter 7

Nami held the big man tightly against her. The term man could be used loosely in reference to him at this time. During the night something had happened and he was taking on a decidedly more feral appearance. His hair had lengthened along with his fingernails and teeth. His ears were pointier and covered with blue fuzz. His body had also obtained the lightest coat of white fur but his muscles could still be seen rather clearly beneath the fine fur. She wondered how much stranger this could get. She remembered reading in the report that the 'creature' as he was referred to experienced a gradual shape shifting process between the phases of the moon. On the full moon a week from now he would be a cat again. Sighing noisily as the frightening reality tried to settle into her brain, she closed her eyes and hugged him tighter to her chest where his head lay between her breasts. Obviously that was his favorite place to be in any form. A male is still a male no matter what the species or rare genetic mutation apparently.

Grimmjow kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. He was waiting to see how she would react to him. He lay as still as possible when her hands began to wander over his body. Snuggling closer to her, he ducked his head to keep her from seeing the smile on his lips. Her insatiable curiosity was as arousing as it was endearing. Turning his head, he licked the side of her breast, laughing when she jumped in surprise.

"Ew! That's so gross," Nami protested with a giggle when he did it again.

"I think you like it," he disputed, moving closer to the nipple with each lick.

"Oh, Grimmy, dear god," she gasped, burying her fingers into his thicker, longer hair when his lips enclosed the hardened protuberance of flesh. This was not the first experience of something truly bizarre with him, and she doubted it would be the last. The pleasurable sensations racing between every synapse in her body kept her from thinking about it too much.

Grimmjow released her nipple with a distinct pop which made them both chuckle with obscene amusement. He licked his way up to her neck before kissing her taking extreme care not to nick her delicate skin with his protruding incisors.

"If I made love to you now, would I be making love to a man or animal or both?" Nami inquired, touching the scary looking teeth with her fingertips.

"Does it matter? It's still me," he murmured, lowering his head to claim her mouth.

No, it did not matter Nami realized when he tentatively entered her body. He was still the one she loved no matter what his outer appearance. The soft fur grazing her skin, tickling it slightly, as he moved inside of her excited her in a very unusual way which under normal circumstances would have disconcerted her greatly. However, there was nothing normal about him which she saw as a good thing. He had a tender, honest heart; he was more human than most men she knew or had known. His stunning innocence and gentle nature despite the harrowing account of his creation was compelling and only drew her to him more.

"Look at me, Nami," Grimmjow requested, stroking her cheek with his softly padded fingertips.

Nami opened her eyes, staring into the brilliant blue eyes of her shockingly compassionate lover. She had never wanted any man like she wanted him. To her he was something so much better than any 'normal' man.

"You're mine aren't you? You don't love _that man_ do you?" he asked, spitting out the words as if they were something vile to the taste.

What a great time to bring this up. Nami closed her eyes momentarily, inhaling a loud shaky breath when he pushed himself into her deeply touching her womb which sparked a blissful explosion of pleasure. Opening her eyes again before she spoke, they locked onto his. "I only love you. He…he's a fr-friend," she stammered, finding it difficult to talk when he continued the slow movement of his hips to touch that same spot. "I'm yours. I want to be yours alone."

"That's what I want too," he whispered, lowering his mouth to hers as he sped up his thrusts.

Nami clung to him as he drove her crazy with pleasure, bringing her to a loud and somewhat violent orgasm. She sank her teeth into the well-developed muscle between his neck and shoulder, startling herself by drawing blood. Oddly enough, she liked the taste, licking off the remnants from her lips after gently sucking all she could from the wound. What was happening to her?

~\..'../~

* * *

Nami was sitting on her back porch staring into the darkness. Grimm had disappeared. She had left for work that morning and returned to an empty house that evening. She was not sure if he had left so she would not see him in his final moments of transformation or if it was just part of his animal nature, a wanderlust he could not escape. He would be in his complete half and half form and she had wanted to see him. Where could he be and when would he return? She was so afraid that one day he would not come back.

"Nami," a deep male voice called from the dark.

"Gr-Grimmy?" she stuttered, frozen with fear. She was unable to move from the shock of the voice coming from the dark as well as the sound of it. It was hoarse and gravelly, different from his normal voice.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," he assured her, moving closer.

"Why did you leave me?" she asked, staring at his silhouette in the dim light of the quarter moon. "I know what you are. I'm not afraid."

"I know I just couldn't bear the thought of you seeing me this way. I didn't want to scare you or disgust you," he said, kneeling down in front of her so she could see his face in the light from the kitchen faintly illuminating part of the porch.

"I love you…no matter what," she assured him, placing her hands on his cheeks to look at him.

His face still retained a human look but was surrounded by long blue hair that flowed down his back past his shoulders. Thin blue lines had formed underneath his eyes and extended to his ears which were huge, pointed and covered with thick blue fur. Her fingers traced the contours of the ears while he examined her face for any negative emotions. Grimmjow was relieved to see she seemed more curious than revolted by him. He raised his paw to her chest, pressing it against her heart.

Nami placed her hand over the gigantic black furry paw pushing on her chest. She was sure he could feel her heart pounding beneath it. A tingling assaulted her body, making her feel as if she were numb from head to toe. Her head felt light as if it would float right off of her shoulders. A distinct sense of surrealism had enveloped her and she assumed it was her mind and her body's way of dealing with the shock. She could tell it was still him by his human face but his body was so different; like a six foot tall cat on two legs.

"Oh, dear god," she gasped, awe overriding the fear as he leaned forward to lick her on the cheek.

Nami swallowed hard closing her eyes to make the world stop spinning. Her eyes popped open to look into his blue ones that were gazing at her ardently.

Grimmjow studied her kind brown eyes intently. He touched her face, drawing back when she flinched from the contact. Biting his lower lip anxiously from her unexpected reaction, his eyes continued to hold hers.

"Nami," he whispered, pressing his cheek against hers and rubbing against her like he did in his cat form to wake her up sometimes.

"Oh, Grimmy," she gasped, sliding her hands through his hair and over his broad, well-built shoulders. She sighed as he continued the movement which was meant to be soothing like it was when his soft fur would glide across her skin. However, with him in half human form it was delightfully weird and remarkably exciting since it was skin to skin contact. "Come inside. Don't leave me again."

"I didn't know if you wanted to see me this way. I'm a…I'm a monster," he muttered, allowing her to take him by the paw and lead him to the door.

Grimmjow obediently followed her inside, willingly trailing behind her to her bedroom. He watched her as she threw back the sheets and blankets to the bed and invited him to lie down with her. He could not stop the smile from spreading across his face as she pushed him down on the soft mattress when he did not move on his own.

Nami urged him onto his back gently so she could cover him up with the blankets so he would warm up. Despite the fur, he still felt cold. Deciding he would get warm faster if she lay next to him, she took off her sweater and let it drop to the floor. Her eyes met his as he she slid into the bed beside him, pushing him over to make room for herself.

"Can I touch you?" Grimmjow asked, his body shaking from nervousness more than the cold. He was still antsy about her reaction to him. He was sure it was just the overwhelming shock of things making her so accepting of him now.

"What do you mean?" she inquired apprehensively.

"Like this," he murmured, putting his arm around her and pulling her body to his.

Nami snuggled into his chest, rubbing her hand across his furry arm in inquisitiveness as much as the intention to warm him. Her lips pressed to the bare skin on his neck, feeling the immediate rise in his heart rate as the artery pulsed beneath them. She felt dizzy and weary suddenly. The initial blow from his appearance must be wearing off. Feeling his strong arms, tightening around her, she gave in to the tiredness to fall asleep. Tomorrow would be another day and hopefully she could deal with it better.

~\..'../~

* * *

"You can't be serious," Grimmjow scoffed when she asked him to go to the park with her to meet Ichigo. He was back in his fully human form and she had decided it was time for the two men in her life to know about each other. They both deserved to know exactly where they stood with her.

"I am. I want you to meet him. You both need to understand how our relationship will work," Nami explained.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have a relationship at all with him," he shot back, folding his arms over his broad chest. "If it weren't for me, you never would have met him."

"You're right," she agreed, preparing to knock the self-satisfied smirk off of his handsome face with her next words. "So it's your fault I got involved with him in the first place. Why don't you explain that to him? It's bound to go over well, I'm sure."

"WHAT?" he bellowed so loudly she was sure she heard the windowpanes rattle.

"Oh, you're such a baby!" she exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm. "Let's go!"

~...~

"Who the hell is this?" Ichigo growled, his brow furrowing so deeply his eyebrows met to form a wrinkled unibrow.

"Ichigo, this is Grimmjow," Nami introduced him, shoving him forward to shake hands.

"Damn, you're strong," Grimmjow grumbled, glaring at her before turning his hateful stare onto the orange haired man. He stood taller than him by a few inches which he made the most of by straightening his spine as much as possible and puffing out his already wide chest to broaden it. Thrusting out his hand like she had taught him, he waited for the other man to take it.

"So this is why you wanted to be just friends, huh?" Ichigo muttered, taking the other man's hand and squeezing it mercilessly. His lips compressed into a thin white line when the blue haired man returned the favor, grinding the bones in his hand together.

Nami could see what was going to happen and pried their hands apart before they succeeded in breaking each other's hands. She stood between them, her back pressed against Grimmjow's chest. She felt his chest rumble behind her head. He was growling! Seriously?! Elbowing him sharply in the ribs she warned him to stop.

Ichigo continued to stare at the man, eyeing him suspiciously. There was something familiar about the light blue t-shirt he was wearing and he couldn't be sure but those jeans were recognizable as well. He seemed to remember accidentally tearing a hole on the thigh of a pair of his jeans placed just where that one was.

"Nice clothes. Where did you get them?" Ichigo questioned him like a prosecuting lawyer in a courtroom.

Nami moved to the side, her inquiring gaze lighting on his momentarily startled face. 'God, you idiot!' she screamed silently in her mind. 'Of all the damn clotheslines to steal from!'

"The same place everyone gets their clothes…the store," the pissed off blunette countered in true smart ass fashion.

This situation was going even worse than Nami had anticipated, her only hope was that it didn't turn violent. That hope faded quickly when the men stepped toward each other with hands curled into fists by their sides. About that time, Renji began barking his head off, rushing toward the threatening Grimmjow.

Grimmjow visibly bristled, baring his teeth while hissing and spitting like an angry cat.

"Oh, my god," Nami moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"What the hell…!" Ichigo exclaimed, backing away from the man who was now crouched down on all fours with his back arched and hissing at the dog. "You chose this weirdo over me!"

"Ichigo!" she screamed in offense, adding to the bedlam.

"Renji! Down, dammit!" he yelled at the dog who swiftly lie down and put his head on his paws. His brown eyes remained on the peculiar blue haired man.

"Grimm, stop," Nami snarled at him, resisting the impulse to literally kick his ass. She ran her hand down his back trying to soothe him like she does when his dander was up in his cat form. 'Please don't purr, please don't purr,' she begged silently as she continued to pet him to get him to calm down. She hoped Ichigo could not see what she was doing since she was standing behind Grimmjow. "Can we all sit down and discuss this like adults?"

"What's to discuss, Nami?" Ichigo sighed, looking at her when she peeked from behind the big man with the blue hair.

"Ichigo," she murmured, moving around Grimmjow's body to walk to him.

"I don't think I should stay somewhere I'm not wanted. I can't be your friend, Nami because I love you too much for that," he explained, reaching forward to touch her cheek.

Nami heard the beginning of a growl rolling in Grimmjow's throat and she raised her hand behind her in a warning to get him to stop. She moved forward to hug Ichigo; if they had to say good-bye she at least wanted to give him that. What had she been thinking? At this time, she was no longer sure what her expectation for the meeting had been. Maybe she was hoping they could form some kind of relationship where they could all be happy, and she could have both of the men she adored in her life. Far stranger things had happened in her life but apparently the abnormality does have a limit for some people.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, allowing her lips to graze his cheek.

"Me too. If you ever need me, I'll be here for you. Anytime you need to call me you can. I can't abandon you. Somehow I have the feeling things are going to go terribly wrong for you in the future and he will be the cause of it," he said cryptically, glowering at the blue haired man.

There was something truly creepy about that man that surpassed simple human eccentricity. He could not put his finger on it but there was something disturbing there he could not quite figure out. Ichigo smiled at Nami, kissing the tip of her nose. He feared for her safety and her life but he could not stop her or even say so because it would only push her farther away from him and more securely into the arms of the other man.

"I'm here whenever you need me. If you get into any kind of trouble, I will save you. See you later, Nami," he stated sadly, hugging her one last time. "I won't say good-bye because it's not permanent."

Nami stood in stunned awe of his words, unable to move or speak. She could see him out of the corner of her eye as he stepped up to Grimmjow almost coming nose to nose with the other man.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you," Ichigo threatened, holding the man's angry eyes.

"I would never hurt her. I'll protect her from anyone that would try to hurt her," Grimmjow countered, bumping the intimidating man slightly with his chest.

"At least we can agree on something," he returned, backing away without averting his eyes. "Renji! Let's go."

Renji flattened his ears against his head, baring his teeth and offering one more growl to the blue haired man who had been attempting to bully his master. After making a derisive chuffing noise, he turned to trot after his master as they left.

"I'm sorry, Nami," Grimmjow apologized.

"No, it's my fault. It was my mistake. I should never have brought you here," she murmured without turning to look at him. "Let's go home."

Home. Grimmjow had a home with the woman he loved. Despite what just happened, he was glad. At least he had one less threat to worry about. He was happy to have her in his life to love him. He would never let anyone hurt her.


	8. Chapter 8

Kisuke stared at the monitor in his office observing the brown haired beauty sitting behind her desk in her office. For once Mayuri had a burst of invasive brilliance when he decided to install the camera in the office Nami shared with the rest of the administrative assistants to keep a close eye on her. He had been watching her closely the last few weeks because there was something definitely different about her. A smirk of amusement tilted his lips when he watched her scratch her ear like a dog…or a cat. The smile fell to be replaced by a deep frown. His gray eyes concentrated on her as she stretched luxuriously with a clueless, guiltless expression on her face. She had no idea she was being watched, and it gave him a guilty thrill feeding his voyeuristic tendencies. So many questions formed in his mind about her unusual behavior and personality changes. Could she have somehow come across their escaped experiment? It would certainly explain her sudden burst of sexiness and bravado. He liked the fabulously erotic changes in here but there was a reason, a very good explanation other than a rapid boost in self-esteem, for the unexpected modifications in her personality and physical appearance.

The strange genetic experiment was supposed to have created a new kind of soldier, one who could escape detection to get behind enemy lines for intelligence gathering or planting spying contraptions and incendiary devices. Tactical maneuvers would have to be scheduled according to the phases of the moon but all military procedures had to be cautiously planned taking into account certain conditions. When the creature transformed into his human form, he could move soundlessly with the grace and speed of cat to remain unnoticed while completing his mission. The feline ability to see in the dark would totally omit his need to use flashlights or night vision equipment further improving his capability of remaining virtually invisible. In place of a super-soldier, they had inadvertently created a hormonal nightmare who looked like a lion but had the heart of a lamb and was more intent on escaping the lab than completing any of the objectives they would lay out for him.

Kisuke toyed with the papers on his desk, procrastinating about going to give them to Nami. He did not like the effect she had on him. The overwhelming need and the brain numbing desire she stirred up within him was not necessarily unpleasant but it was discomforting in the sense that he felt a total lack of control. With all of his flirting and friendly lecherousness with the other girls, he always remained in control but not around her. There was something profoundly wrong here. There was something wrong with _her_.

Nami had mentioned the desire pheromone linked to eliciting a sexual response in the opposite sex. Kisuke remembered when the creature was in the lab the women in the building had turned into nymphomaniacs which had been a delightfully beneficial side effect that he had taken full advantage of. That had been the most orgasmic year in his life. Even Mayuri, the man who seemed incapable of experiencing, much less giving in to, sexual desire, had indulged in a fling or two during that time. Then the damn thing had escaped and the fun was over. Bastard cat from hell. Tapping his fingers on the desk, he moved the camera to an angle where he could stare down the oblivious woman's low cut blouse at her ever lovely décolletage.

"So damn pretty," he mumbled to himself actually looking at her face when he spoke the words.

If she did have the laboratory escapee, it would not surprise him. It only made sense that the creature would be responsible for the magnificent changes in the woman. She seemed untamed and erotic, having a more libidinous allure without dressing and acting like a tramp. Allowing his dirty mind to wander, he considered the possibility of the thing having sex with her. As far as they knew the experiment was sterile being not fully human or animal, although they believed the animal side alone would thwart conception due to the cross species implications. His frown turned upwards into a lascivious grin. Would she be guilty of bestiality if she did have sex with it? All the fantastic repercussions of his musings were excessively interesting and could keep him perversely entertained all day. However, there was work to be done.

~...~

"Nami, my lovely goddess of the keyboard and all things clerical," Kisuke started when he walked into the office she shared with two other women.

Nami suddenly wished she had taken up her coworkers' offer to go to lunch with them. She had chosen to stay behind to finish her present project for Mr. Kurotsuchi then she would go to lunch.

In her distraction, Kisuke had taken the moment to scrutinize her breasts in person because they had looked so delectable on the camera. That feeling he disliked so much was overtaking him, and he was helpless to fight against the lust as if he would have anyway.

"Mr. Urahara!" she exclaimed to bring his focus back to her face. Some days she really hated her job or rather the people she worked with.

"There's something different about you," he murmured, leaning forward to examine her more closely. "You're more aggressive, sexier. Have you met any interesting men lately?"

"Do you really think that's appropriate?" she inquired, standing up to come nose to nose with him.

"Do you?" he challenged, poking her in the chest between her breasts.

"Seriously? Did you really just do that?" she growled, her teeth pulling back from her lips in a silent snarl.

"Yes, I did," he responded with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

Neither one of them could have predicted what happened next. Nami jumped on top of the desk, sending papers and other office supplies flying in all directions. She grabbed Kisuke by his lab coat, leaping from the desk to push him to the floor. Her skirt was pushed up to her hips revealing her underwear when she straddled his chest since he was flat on his back.

"Dammit!" he bellowed half in fear and half in excitement. His hands went to her waist and his eyes were riveted on the immaculate view between her legs in black lacey panties.

Nami suddenly came to herself as she stared down at the libidinous creep staring at her revealed lower half. She pressed her hand against his cheek, pushing his face to the side.

"Oh, my god! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me," she gasped, swiftly clambering off his chest and pulling down her skirt.

"Well, that's the most interesting thing I've seen in a while," Mayuri Kurotsuchi declared when he walked into the room. He walked right up to Nami, looking her over carefully from head to toe with the curiosity of a scientist instead of a man. "And I've seen a lot of interesting things."

"I bet you have," she muttered, backing away apprehensively. She was unable to take her eyes off his face as she stared at the thick application of white make up on his skin. The gossip around the office was he wore the make-up to cover the horrible scars from an experiment that had literally blown up in his face. It had also been speculated that he simply had a weird fetish for clowns that exceeded the boundaries even for an aberration and had overrun the confines of secrecy.

"Would you be willing to submit to a few tests? It wouldn't hurt…much," he added, moving close enough to her she could feel his breath across her lips.

"Uh, no sir, I would not be willing to submit to a few tests," she responded, backing away further. "I developed an allergy to pain several years ago."

Her back contacted the wall and she was trapped, unable to retreat any further. Now walls were her enemy as well as doors. Just when she thought things, especially Kurotsuchi, could not get any weirder, this happens. Did they know or at least suspect she had been in contact with Grimmjow? Submit to a few tests indeed. Her face twisted into an expression of disgust as the clown from hell continued to eye her with scientific curiosity while his golden eyes held a gleam in them that hinted to his sadistic nature. He had probably enjoyed the poking and prodding, the agony and torment, he had inflicted on Grimmjow. By the way he was examining her, she knew he wanted to do it to her. He had even said so.

"Listen here you, ba-ah, um boss," Nami was able to stop herself before she cursed her employer right in his face. "I'm almost done with the paperwork you have given me so if you don't mind – "

Kurotsuchi placed his fingers on his chin as if contemplating something while he watched the woman slide along the wall to edge past him. His suspicions were all but confirmed that she had been in contact with their rogue science experiment recently. If he could only obtain a blood sample, he would know for sure. He jerked his head toward the door for his partner and fellow scientist to follow him. They needed to have a private discussion on how to proceed with this situation now that they had nearly found their prodigal test subject. They had to advance cautiously or risk spooking the woman who was their best chance of getting the creature, the result of their extensive research, back.

"Here, Nami," Kisuke said, dropping the papers on her desk. "I need this by Friday."

"Yes, sir," she responded, staring at him as he smiled at her. She knew it was a counterfeit smile that was meant to mask his uneasiness. Her body trembled slightly with dread because his bogus nonchalance did not dispel the nervous energy that filled the air.

Nami was only temporarily relieved that they exited together. She could tell something sinister was going on. The annoying prickly feeling began at the base of her neck and felt as if it were lifting all of the small hairs off her skin all the way to her hairline at the nape of her neck. Rubbing her neck to make the bothersome feeling stop, she returned to her desk. She had the feeling that they, she and principally Grimmjow, were in danger.

~...~

"What's wrong?" Grimm asked when she ran into the house after work.

Nami dropped everything on the floor, rushing straight into his strong arms. She flung her arms around his neck while burying her face into his chest while the tears flowed freely. She was thankful that he was patient with her, allowing her to cry it all out before he asked her anything else.

"What is it, Nami?" he inquired, stroking her hair. He held her tightly as her body shuddered from residual sobs from her crying fit.

"They know," she mumbled, pressing her cheek against his heart.

"Who? What do they know? What's going on?" he questioned her, pulling her back so he could see her face.

"I work at the lab where you were created," she confessed. She had kept that not so small fact a secret from him.

"What?" His sky blue eyes narrowed as he glared at her. "You should have told me this."

"How could I? I was already in love with you by the time I made all the connections. Grimm, please," she begged when he pushed her away and turned his back on her.

"I've put you in danger," he muttered, walking away from her.

"Me? What about you? I don't care what they do to me. You – " She stopped when he whirled around to face her.

"I care what they do to you! I love you!" he yelled angrily, grabbing her by the arms.

"I love you too," she murmured, gasping when he crushed her to his hard chest. "We'll figure this out together. Somehow."

Grimmjow held her as a murderous rage filled him for the two scientists who had created him, an abomination of nature against God and man. If only he had known, he could have stayed away from her and she would be safe. He loosened his grip on Nami when he heard her gasp for air, but he did not let her go. Whatever it took to protect her he would do it.

~...~

Later that night, Grimmjow stole her phone from her purse. He had seen her play with this device enough that he copied her movements to use it. Going outside so she would not hear, he found the number of the man she called Ichigo. The depraved scientists had not left him completely uneducated since he would have to know how to read, write, and perform basic math.

"Hello?" a drowsy Ichigo said into the phone.

Grimmjow nearly dropped the thing from the shock of hearing the voice with such clarity as if he were right next to the man. He heard a grumpy, aggravated hello before saying one back into the phone.

"Who the hell is this?" Ichigo demanded.

"It's Grimm, Nami's…" he faltered not sure what to say before adding, "boyfriend."

"Yeah, that's a very loose interpretation of the term. Why in the hell are you calling me? Are stupid as well as crazy?"

"I need your help. Nami is in trouble."

"Well, can't you protect her?" Ichigo queried with a bitter edge to his voice.

"No. It's because of me she's in trouble," Grimmjow admitted, the guilt swarming him and stinging him like a thousand bees.

"I wish I could say that surprises me. Why do you think I can help?" the man sighed impatiently.

"Because you said it yourself, you love her and will always be there for her. You vowed to protect her even from me if necessary," he reminded him. His heart beat faster within his chest as silence met his ultra-sensitive ears. "I think we should meet somewhere so I can tell you the whole story."

"All right," Ichigo consented grudgingly with obvious annoyance. "Just remember I'm doing this for her and not for you."

"Yeah. It's _all_ for her. How do you think I swallowed my pride to be able to call you?" he retorted venomously. "I can't protect her. She needs you."

It stung his pride to admit that, but he had no choice. The man who was his adversary would have to become his ally to save her from a danger that could end her life. There was no place for pride at this time.


	9. Chapter 9

Ichigo scowled at the blue haired man sitting across the table from him. Did that idiot really expect him to believe that shit? Not only was he stupid, the man was just plain crazy, and Ichigo was more fearful than before for Nami. Science experiments, genetic mutations, military secret weapon…staring into his cup of black coffee he wished he had agreed to meet at a bar instead of an all-night diner. He could use something a whole lot stronger than coffee. A shot or ten of something with a high percentage of alcohol would be nice.

"You don't believe me, do you?" the blunette asked as if he did not already know.

"No. I don't. I think you're insane. I wish you would leave Nami alone. She doesn't need someone like you," he growled in response.

"She needs someone like you," Grimmjow stated rather than asked, taking the orange haired man by surprise. He raised his blue eyes to meet the brown ones that were wide and round with astonishment rather than narrowed in anger. "I'm not as stupid as you think."

"You really do love her don't you?" he inquired, turning the cup in his hands nervously. That was not the kind of comeback he had expected. He had not anticipated any of this. He had been awaiting an argument, a threat to leave Nami alone, a fist fight; anything except to have her virtually handed over to him to be her guardian.

"Why do you think I'm doing what's best for her and worst for me? Do you really think I want to give you full access to her knowing how you feel? I've seen you kiss her and hold her. I've seen how you look at her. Who gives away…" Grimmjow allowed his words to trail off, swallowing hard to fight back the emotion. He could not believe he was doing this. He had finally found someone who loves him, who accepted him before he could even accept himself yet he was turning her over to another man for safekeeping. "Who gives away the woman he loves?"

"A man who loves her in return and only wants what is best for her," Ichigo answered, honestly feeling terrible for the man. He doubted he would do the same if the tables were turned. He was sure he would selfishly hang on to her no matter what the risk, but he would protect her. "You think these scientists would really kill her?"

"I do. She knows too much by working there already. And when they find out she has been harboring me for the last several months…they would definitely kill her," he replied bluntly.

"What do you want me to do?"

~...~

"Why are you doing this?" Nami asked as she watched Grimmjow pack her suitcase. Occasionally she would glance apprehensively in Ichigo's direction as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom watching without saying a word. She was confused and tired since they had awakened her in the wee hours of the morning. Neither one of them would explain exactly what was going on.

"You're going to live with Ichigo for a while. Don't go to work. You're in danger there," Grimmjow told her, pulling her drawer full of intimate apparel out of her dresser and dumping the whole thing in her suitcase.

Nami was aware of the fact that she was in danger at work but she had no choice except to keep going. She had to work and make money. There were bills to pay and food to buy and…

"I'll take care of you. Don't worry. These people want to kill you, Nami," Ichigo said, moving toward her.

Nami shivered upon hearing the word kill. She knew that as well and to hear the words out loud made it more real and more frightening. She did not struggle against her friend when he pulled her into his arms right in front of Grimmjow who did not seem to notice as he opened a second suitcase and began filling it.

"Don't I have a say in this matter?" she inquired indignantly.

"NO!" both men answered in unison quite loudly.

"Go with Ichigo and stay put. Don't go out of the house if you can help it. I don't want them to find you," Grimmjow said, stopping momentarily to look at them.

Nami could see the pain on his face as he observed her being held in the arms of another man. She did not want to do this. She did not want to leave him, and she did not want to be left alone with Ichigo. Heartbreak and temptation were a bad mixture. Her mind struggled to figure out which situation posed more peril for her: going to work or being alone with her overtly sexy friend.

"How am I supposed to hide in the same city as them?" she asked, hoping that would make him give up this silly idea of sending her to be with Ichigo.

"I've done it for over a year now," Grimmjow rejoined, going to her closet to begin retrieving clothes. "They're scientists. They're very intelligent but good old fashioned common sense is not their strong point."

Nami actually wanted to laugh at his astute observance about Urahara and Kurotsuchi. She had worked for them long enough to know his statement was very true. She broke free of Ichigo's tight embrace and went to Grimmjow. Grabbing him around the waist, she pressed her body to his while laying her head against his chest.

"What are you going to do?" she questioned, holding him tightly.

"It's best you don't know. If I do it right, you won't have a job to go back to anyway," he explained cryptically. If he divulged any details, she would be viewed as an accessory, and he wanted her left out this part of the ordeal.

"What?" she inquired, staring up at his face. Her eyes met his blue ones which were set hard with determination but did not give any indication of what he was planning.

"You have to trust me. You already have with so much and it's unfair to ask any more of you but I have to. Just let me go and trust me," he begged her, taking her arms from around his body. His eyes moved to Ichigo who came to her and took her by the hand to lead her from the room.

Grimmjow followed with the suitcases pausing to grab her jacket from the hook by the door. He was glad she had worn a pair of her pajamas that covers her up rather than the flimsy, barely there ones he was accustomed to seeing her in. After putting her suitcases in the backseat of the other man's car, he prepared himself to tell her good-bye. Reminding himself it was only for a short time, he wrapped her jacket around her shoulders before pulling her into his firm embrace.

"I love you, Nami," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I will return to you. I just have to take care of this so we will both be safe."

"I love you too," she sobbed, allowing the tears to flow freely down her face. She was angry, frightened, and generally upset as a myriad of emotions surged through her. "I don't want to leave you."

"I know. But you have to. I want you safe," he whispered, tipping her chin up with his finger. He pressed his lips to her giving her a kiss to remember him by.

Nami held onto him as her head spun and she felt dizzy from the intense emotions relayed by that kiss. She was comforted by the fact it did not feel like a good-bye. It was simply his way of telling her until we meet again. He had kissed her like this before, but at the time she had not understood what it meant. Now she knew.

"Go, Nami. Wait for me," Grimmjow said, kissing the tip of her nose.

"I will," she promised, pulling the jacket tighter around her as she trembled helplessly.

"I'll take care of her," Ichigo assured the other man when he received a piteous expression. He had been wondering for the hundredth time why he agreed to do this until he received that look of sad desperation. His love for Nami was greater than his dislike and jealousy for that man.

Nami was sitting in the car sobbing softly, staring out of the window at Grimmjow. She hung her head as they pulled away because she was unable to bear looking at him any longer. Her heart hurt and she rubbed her chest as if that would stem the flow of emotions flowing from her broken heart.

Grimmjow watched the car disappear down the street, lingering long after he saw the tail lights disappear. Pressing his lips together and pushing aside his emotions, he began to think. It was time to plan and execute that plan. He had to ensure the future and freedom that he and Nami would never have as long as those mad scientists of the Frankenstein sort were alive.

~...~

Ichigo led Nami to his bedroom so he could put her to bed. He was worried because she was shaking so profoundly. He feared she had gone into a mild state of shock due to the overwhelming situation. Pressing his hand against her clammy forehead, he tucked the covers around her to warm her up.

"Nami, please calm down," he begged her as tears soundlessly streamed down her cheeks. He leaned forward to kiss one of her cheeks that were wet with tears and she remained unresponsive. With a noisy sigh, he stood up from the bed. When her hand reached out to grasp his, he immediately stopped to look at her. He looked at her pitiful, bloodshot eyes that were still leaking tears and sat back down.

"Don't leave me," she entreated him, her voice hoarse with emotion. She pushed the covers down to her waist before sitting up to enclose his neck with her arms.

"Nami, we shouldn't be this close," he murmured, wanting to kiss her when she pressed her lips against his neck while pulling him close to her. If he kissed her, they would both come undone. The scent of vanilla and lavender filled his nostrils while he carefully peeled her arms from around his neck before they proceeded to do something he really wanted to do but she would inevitably regret. Pushing her back down onto the pillow, he repositioned the covers over her making sure to encapsulate her in the sheets and blankets with her arms down by her sides. "You should get some sleep."

"How can I?" she asked like a petulant child. She struggled to free her arms from where he had imprisoned them and lay them on top of the covers. "Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me when it hurts you so much?"

"It's the kind of sacrifice any idiot makes when he loves someone," he answered frankly, rubbing his thumb across her cheek to remove the remnants of her tears. "Even if she doesn't love him the same way."

"Ichigo," Nami sighed, lowering her eyes from his. The words stung a bit and she doubted it was intentional but it still hurt her. She did not understand why she did not fall in love with him. What was not to like about him? He was thoughtful, caring, and funny not to mention handsome and very alluring. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he inquired, edging closer to her. He dared to kiss her on the forehead which turned out to be a mistake because her sudden intake of breath aroused him. _Dumbass_, he cursed himself silently. When things subsided a bit and he could walk again, he would have to move away from her.

"Will you stay with me until I'm asleep? I will feel safer with you watching over me," she said, lying down and making herself comfortable on the bed.

"Sure. Of course I'll stay," Ichigo assured her. Yep, dammit, he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while since something decided to pop up at an inopportune time.

Nami settled into a fetal position finally, almost hugging her knees to her chest. She felt a gentle hand on her back stroking her to soothe her. The weariness set in first before the drowsiness overtook her. She was too sleepy to protest when she felt his body slide beneath the covers to curl around hers. She assumed he must think she was asleep when he kissed her cheek and held her securely in his arms.

"Everything will be all right, Nami," he whispered in her ear. "I'll always be here for you."

Upon hearing that, she sighed contentedly and fell asleep in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Hot breath blew across Nami's chest, raising goose bumps in its path. She shivered slightly, nestling deeper under the covers. Just as she was about to drift back off into nothingness, she felt a warm, wet tongue against her cheek. Instantly coming to wakefulness, she was greeted with a furry face and dog breath.

"Renji!" she exclaimed with relief, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"Who'd you think it was? Me?" Ichigo asked, receiving his answer when she blushed hotly.

Smirking roguishly but holding his comments to himself, he handed her the cup of coffee he had brought to her. He had let her sleep as long as she would, and it was late into the afternoon. The sun would be setting again soon. He wondered if she would begin living her life lurking in the shadows along with her boyfriend when he returned. His smirk promptly turned to a scowl which caught her attention.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, allowing her fingers to drift over his cheek before she pulled away to wrap them around the mug of steaming liquid he had given her.

"Just thinking," he answered cryptically. It was best she did not know what he was thinking. He was thinking he did not want her boyfriend to return and was glad they had not heard from him in four days. What the hell could he be doing?

Nami dared to turn on her phone, seeing that she had missed calls and texts from Kisuke Urahara. She wondered where Grimmjow could be and if he was all right. Turning the phone back off, she tossed it onto the night table ignoring the loud clacking sound the plastic case made. What did it matter if she broke it?

"Are you all right?" he questioned her, looking at her over the top of his cup as he drank. She had been very quiet and barely moved from the bed the last two days.

"As good as can be expected I guess with this weird new life I've found myself in. What if…" she began unable to speak the rest of the query.

"He's fine. Don't worry. He'll come back," he told her with resolve. Even though he did not want him to, he was sure Grimmjow would be back for her.

~\..'../~

* * *

_A week later…_

Grimmjow dropped through the ceiling into the middle of the lab. He was in his half human/half cat form which gave him greater mobility and strength. He immediately went to one of the cameras. Knowing it was recording, he indulged in an obvious 'fuck you' by flipping off the camera before he commenced to rip the camera off the wall with his bare hand. Proceeding to do away with the three other cameras positioned in the lab by tearing them off the wall as well, he then set about rigging up the chemical bombs for a delayed explosion. By the morning, the acid would have burned through the string, releasing the balloon full of accelerant that would drop down on the flame that would be created by the string igniting the match as the balloon fell. It was a Rube Goldberg machine of sorts, but it would have deadly implications.

After setting up the explosives, Grimmjow began going through filing cabinets and computer programs to gather information about the particular experiments performed on him. Proof, blackmail, evidence, whatever it was called, he needed information and lots of it to ensure his protection in case something went wrong. Something going wrong for him entailed if Urahara and Kurotsuchi somehow survived the blasts he had set up.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," a familiar and unexpected voice declared behind him.

Grimmjow heard the sound of a gun being cocked so he raised his hands and turned slowly to see Kisuke Urahara with a gun aimed at his head.

"She's taken very good care of you. You look better now than when we had you here at the lab," the scientist commented carefully studying his wayward test subject.

"You have no idea what she's done for me," he growled in return, pulling his lip back from his long incisors.

"Oh, stop it! You don't scare me," Urahara laughed mirthlessly, waving the gun to signal him to get away from the computer. "I can't believe you came back on your own. You sure did make things easy for us."

"I have no intention of making things easy for you," he retorted angrily. Lunging forward, he grabbed the blonde's arm, shoving the gun toward the ceiling.

The gun went off, the bullet hitting a light in the ceiling. One of the fluorescent bulbs shattered, sending glass raining down on the men who were struggling for the gun.

"Don't make me kill you, Kisuke," Grimmjow snarled, trying to pull the gun away from him. "I know you were only following Kurotsuchi's orders. You were never cruel or evil like him. Just let me go."

"Do you love her?" the other man asked suddenly, stunned when the blue haired creature abruptly stopped fighting for control of the gun. "Do you think you can be happy with her?"

"What?" he inquired sincerely confused at this point by the man's questions.

"I like Nami and have no ill will against her. I have none for you either really," Kisuke stated, putting the gun back in the holster attached to his back. "Answer the questions Grimmjow."

"Yes, I love her and I'm already happy with her," he answered truthfully, staring at the man as he crossed over in front of him to go to the computer.

Kisuke typed in the command to erase all files and destroy the hard drive. A red warning box flashed on the screen giving the countdown before all of the information was destroyed.

"You should leave now," he warned, moving back to the large laboratory table in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing?" Grimmjow asked as the man pulled a backpack that had the appearance of being military issued from behind the counter. He watched in silent amazement as the man began to unload grenades and C-4 blocks from the rucksack.

"I'm doing what I came here to do. I'm Captain Kisuke Urahara from the army and I was sent here to watch over that freak Mayuri. What happened here never should have been allowed to take place. To be blunt, I was sent to spy on Kurotsuchi and I was actually supposed to keep the experiment from succeeding. My scientific curiosity got the best of me and you were created," he said, pausing briefly to stare at the one of a kind oddity standing in front of him. "I'm sorry I let that happen. You should not exist."

"But I do," Grimmjow stated in a low voice, swallowing hard. He had never before felt like such a blight on humanity, a terrible mistake, than he did after Urahara's frank confession.

"I know. And that's why I'm helping you," Urahara replied, grabbing two of the blocks of explosives. He adhered one to the bottom of the lab table where he was standing before attaching the other to the door of the room where Grimmjow had been created. "All this has got to go, but you…you deserve a chance to live. None of this was your fault and you shouldn't have to suffer for it. Get out. Go get that girl and have a happy life."

"What about you?" he asked, concerned for the life of his unexpected ally.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Like I said, I should have done this long ago. You should leave now. You need to be out of the blast zone when it goes off. There will be nothing left of this place but a crater," Kisuke informed him, going back to the table where the explosives sat.

"Yeah, but – "

Urahara reached behind his back to grab the gun. He turned with the gun trained on Grimmjow right between his eyes. "Go!"

~\..'../~

* * *

"Nami!" Ichigo yelled the next morning frightening her out of blissful sleep. "Come here! You have to see this!"

"God, Ichigo what?! You scared the hell out of me!" she shrieked, sliding to a stop behind his couch. Her socks and his hardwood floors did not get along too well but she was freezing and had to wear them. She moved around the couch to sit beside him, feeling weak and shaky while she gazed in horrified awe at the television screen. She was grateful for his arm that went around her to keep her from shaking to pieces. There on the screen was an overhead shot from a helicopter of her workplace. The lab was engulfed in flames and did not even exist anymore in places except as a burned out hole in the earth.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, pressing her trembling fingers to her lips. She wanted to scream. Her stomach seemed to drop to her toes as she continued to stare at the terrifying pictures on the TV.

"Don't worry, he's fine," Ichigo assured her, hugging her to his side.

Nami wanted to believe him. She had to believe him, or she would risk falling apart completely.

~\..'../~

* * *

Ichigo glimpsed Nami out of the corner of his eye. He was glad to see the faint smile on her face. He had brought her to the mall to see the Christmas decorations in hopes it would cheer her up. So far, Grimmjow had been gone a month with no word. Kisuke Urahara was missing and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been found murdered in his bed. Neither he nor Nami were sure what to think or hope for at this point. She was still sleeping in his bed while he slept in the guest room. The nights when she cried were the most difficult. He would have to force himself to lie in the bed and just listen to her mournful tears although she attempted to muffle her sobs of despair and worry. He already knew what would happen if he went to her, to comfort her, and he did not want to give her a reason to hate him for taking advantage of her in a moment of weakness.

"Ichigo," Nami said, taking him by the hand. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, turning to face her when she stopped walking.

"Everything. Thank you for taking care of me just like you said you would. Thank you for not using this as an opportunity to try to win me over. Just…thank you," she repeated, moving closer to hug him.

Ichigo embraced her, burying his face in her lavender and vanilla scented hair. He knew her scent well and it made his stomach clench every time he caught the faintest whiff of her. One of these days she would leave him whether Grimmjow returned or not; he was sure of it.

"Hey, hey, you two!" a male voice yelled from above them.

They both looked up to find the source of the voice, surprised to see it was a man in a Santa suit. They ignored him, only to be hailed again then entreated to come up to him with a wave of his hand.

"Should we?" Ichigo asked, staring up at the costumed man with apprehension.

"Why not? I'm curious to see what he wants," she said, taking Ichigo by the hand to pull him to the stairs.

"You know what curiosity did to the cat?" He blanched when he received a caustic glance that practically heated his skin from the fury it held. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean –"

"I know. It's okay," she replied, squeezing his hand and compelling a smile to turn up her lips to cover her unnecessarily irate reaction. She knew he really had not meant to be intentionally cruel; he had been just too sweet and understanding with her so far for the remark to have been purposeful.

Nami noticed something familiar about the Santa when her eyes met his intense gray ones. Dropping Ichigo's hand, she boldly walked up to the man to pull down his fake beard to see if her guess to his identity was correct.

"Kisuke!" she gasped, unsure as to whether she should run or beat the hell out of him.

"Shhhh!" he hissed vehemently, pulling her toward him to whisper in her ear. "I have a wonderful Christmas present for you."

"Oh?" she snorted skeptically in return. "Do you plan to torture me or just plain kill me?"

"Neither one. I have your boyfriend," he told her, catching her as she began a quick descent toward the highly polished cement floor from fainting.

Ichigo rushed forward, pulling her out of the arms of the stranger. "Who are you? What do you want? What did you do to her?" he demanded. He had been unable to hear their incredibly short conversation since it had been held in hushed tones at close range.

"She fainted, I know where her boyfriend is, and I'm Captain Kisuke Urahara, her former boss and a military spy who had been sent to the lab where she works," he explained as concisely as possible. "Now if you'll follow me, I can take her to Grimmjow."

Ichigo hefted the unconscious Nami over his shoulder and followed the stranger who was dressed even more strangely in the Santa costume. This would have been his chance to take her and run in the opposite direction. He would never have to worry about her seeing Grimmjow again. Somehow, despite it being his greatest desire, he could just not take the fortuitous opening that had been given to him. Besides, what good would it do if she despised him for it anyway? Sighing heavily with exasperation with himself for loving the infuriating woman so, he followed Santa to give her the greatest Christmas gift she would probably ever receive.


	11. Chapter 11

I apologize for the late update and any typos that may be in this. I hope you enjoy it! :D Thanks for reading.

* * *

Nami and Ichigo had been carried to a nearby military base to the secret underground lab. Secrets and military - no shocker there. However, the goofy and lecherous Kisuke Urahara not only being a scientist but a high ranking military spy - now that had been quite an unexpected surprise. He led them down the too white, too bright hallway that stifled them with the typical sickening hospital smell of antiseptic.

Large windows lined the hallway that offered a clear view of each patient's room. Most of the big windows were either curtained or darkened and Nami avoided looking into the ones that weren't either of those. Needless to say she was too afraid of what she might see in a secret lab. Leaning heavily on Ichigo, she clutched at his jacket while he helped her proceed down the never ending hallway. She did not know whether to be relieved or horrified when they stopped in front of a window to a dimly lit room. Gathering her courage, she let go of her best friend and the second man who loved her unconditionally. Touching the tip of her nose to the cool glass, she pressed her palms against the smooth barrier separating her from the man she had been longing for.

Grimmjow lay in the hospital bed with yards of wires attached to him. Most of his face was obscured by the oxygen mask covering it, but he appeared to be in his human form. Tonight was a full moon. How was this possible?

Nami's knees weakened and she whimpered with the effort to keep herself standing. She felt a hand on the small of her back before Kisuke stepped up next to her.

"He's all right despite how bad it looks. He's in a drug induced coma," he explained, pulling her to his side as a comforting gesture rather trying to be a pervert – for once. Taking a deep breath he continued. "I've been experimenting on him for the last month. At his request."

"But why?" she asked, too weak to respond violently to the news.

"He wants to become human," he said frankly, looking down at her when she began to tremble. "For you."

Ichigo made a sound somewhere between a grunt of disapproval and a demeaning chuckle. He whirled around, walking away a few steps to avoid the stares of the other two people. 'Human indeed. How can a monster become human?' he thought to himself, pressing his lips together to keep words from forming.

"I don't want him to be human. He was sweet and pure like he was. What did you do, Kisuke?" she inquired, grasping the lapels of his lab coat. "Please, tell me you didn't destroy everything that was good about him."

"Don't be so dramatic, Nami. Calm down," he chided her gently, patting her back.

"It's only the physical effects. He won't be turning into a cat again. I haven't quite managed to rid him of the in between form but it's better," he clarified, stroking her long brown hair. "I stopped giving him the medication this morning to keep him under. He could wake up in a few hours or a few days. I'm not sure."

"Can I…can I go in and see him at least?" she inquired, looking up into his big gray eyes.

"Of course you can," he told her, giving her a fleeting embrace.

Nami placed her shaking hand on the freezing cold door handle and pushed open the door. She kept her eyes on the still form in the bed as she apprehensively approached. Sitting down on the side of the bed beside him, she pressed her hand against his bare chest over his heart. The sensation of his warm, smooth skin beneath her fingertips was so comforting. She closed her eyes, relishing the beat of his heart pulsating through her fingertips.

"Oh, Grimmy, I've missed you so much," she whispered, bending forward to kiss his forehead.

Ichigo watched her from the other side of the window with Kisuke standing beside him. He did not notice the other man staring at him as he observed the tender scene being played out in front of his eyes. Why was he torturing himself by watching this? He did not understand it himself.

"You love her don't you?" Kisuke queried with concern as he noticed the man's face darkening with an expression of anger and jealousy.

"Figure that out all by yourself there genius?" Ichigo retorted harshly before he could stop himself.

"Hmmm," the scientist muttered, gazing at the man like he was the latest test subject. "Would you like to be taken home? I can arrange that."

"Sure," he answered tersely.

"Do you want to tell her good-bye?" Kisuke asked, watching his expression turn to one of deep sadness.

Humans were the most bizarre creatures. Their emotions alone would provide years of study with all sorts of interesting data. Unfortunately, he was sure in the end it would prove to be a useless endeavor to attempt to understand the human gamut of emotions. There would be no real conclusion as to why humans feel the way they do or willingly lay themselves open to some of the heartache they do.

"No," Ichigo replied, turning away from the window when her shoulders began to shake from her tears. He could not endure anymore of her tears. "I think it would be better if I just leave."

~\..'../~

* * *

Grimmjow felt a comforting, soft body pressed next to his. There was a familiarity to the figure as his hands gently explored the contours, sliding along the arms then back up the sides. Breathing in deeply, he could smell her well-known scent: it was his beloved Nami. He wanted to open his eyes but it felt as if his eyelids had been glued together. Groaning with annoyance from his uncooperative body, he rolled over toward her, satisfied to hold her in his arms.

"Grimmy," Nami whispered, fitting her body to his when his arms enclosed her. "I've missed you."

"I wondered if I would ever see you again," he mumbled drowsily, pressing his face against her neck.

Nami had been waiting two days for him to wake up. The oxygen mask and all of the tubes except for the IV for fluids had been removed yesterday. She had talked to him for hours about anything and everything while he was still unconscious. Kisuke had brought her food to eat and books to read to keep her busy. Her mind had wandered to thoughts of Ichigo many times during the long hours of waiting. It had hurt her feelings that he had deserted her after taking such good care of her, but she guessed it was to be expected since she was with Grimmjow. She had often speculated as to why Ichigo was so good to her in the first place. Most men would not have bothered with her anymore once she admitted to loving someone else. But he was different; both men she loved were decidedly different not only from each other but from all other men. It had been a disconcerting truth to admit to herself that she loved Ichigo after all. She had been lying to herself and worst of all, lying to him, when she had told him that she did not feel that way and only wanted to be friends. The last two days had left her with way, WAY too much time to think.

Nami gasped in surprise when she felt Grimmjow's lips on hers. She pulled away at first because she had been deep in thought about a certain orange haired hero who had been her caretaker.

"What's wrong?" he asked, opening his deep blue eyes. She was a bleary haze in front of him but his eyes slowly brought her lovely face into focus. He had missed her so much.

"Nothing," she lied, gazing into the eyes the color of a cloudless, endless sky. She closed her eyes and pulled his lips back to hers for a welcome back kiss. Keeping the kiss short so it would not lead to other temptations, she snuggled into him afterward.

Grimmjow held her without saying a word. His fingers caressed her cheek while her other cheek was pressed against his chest. It felt good to have her near, to be holding her once more. At some points during the treatment he doubted he would ever see her again because he was in so much pain he thought he would die and other times he wished he could die to escape the agony. But he wanted to be human for her, to be with her. He wanted to be able to go out in public with her without acting like a freak or being confined to the house during certain times due to his condition. He did not want to bring her shame or endanger her life again. If no one knew what he was, if there was some way to stop being that, he would do so to protect her.

"Grimmy, why?" she asked, tracing the needle marks on his arms and chest from the hundreds of injections he had undergone.

"Because I love you," he said, pressing her hand over his heart. Not only did her fingers tickle moving over the marks, he did not want to be reminded of them.

"I love you too. Just like you are… I mean, were…whatever," she mumbled, irritated with herself that she could not find the right words. Were there any for an occasion like this?

The door flew open and Kisuke hurried into the room scaring the life out of the two people lying in the bed cuddled together. He chuckled with ruthless mirth from the shocked expressions on their faces from his sudden entrance.

"Glad you two weren't in the middle of anything," he chortled, taking Nami's hand to help her out of the bed. He was actually here with serious intentions. Pulling the syringe out of his pocket, he proceeded to give Grimmjow his required daily injection of human growth hormone to stimulate the pituitary gland which had all but stopped working during the last few weeks of gene and dna manipulation. It was a good thing the man had enhanced healing capabilities or he would be dead right now. The damage to his body had made the induced coma essential in his healing.

"Kisuke, how long will he have to stay here?" she inquired, standing next to the bed beside him.

"I'm not sure. Why? Do you have somewhere to go?" he rejoined, turning to look at her.

"No, no I don't," she answered, thinking about the predicament she was in for the first time in weeks.

Indeed, Nami had no place to go. She had no job to go to and with no job she would soon have no house. What was she going to do? Sighing deeply, she moved to drop down heavily into the chair behind her as the full weight of her situation pressed down on her mentally. She blanched violently when the cute blonde's face suddenly appeared a few inches in front of hers.

"You can stay here as long as you need to. He's not going anywhere anytime soon and I could use a good lab assistant. At least someone to type up all of my notes. You know how to do that and can do it well," he said, smiling kindly at her. He took her hand in his, squeezing it gently to reassure her.

For once he was being serious and not hitting on her in some bizarre, roundabout way. Kisuke felt partially responsible for almost completely ruining her life. If he had never allowed for Grimmjow to be created, there would not be so much collateral damage now; lives lost, property destroyed, and emotional pain all around for everyone involved. It was now his turn to heave a loud sigh as the matter settled almost cripplingly on his shoulders. This little science experiment had far reaching implications beyond the ethical and moral dilemma which he had ignored completely at the inception but was coming back to haunt him at this time.

"Hey, Kisuke?" Nami called, reaching out to touch his cheek. "I'm glad you're not the bad guy I thought you were. What's done is done and we will get through this somehow. Right?"

"Yeah. We will get through this," he rejoined, immediately developing a new, familial affection for her. He kissed her on the top of her head thinking of her as his new little sister. 'Adopting' her was the least he could do to repay her for the misery he had inadvertently caused her.


	12. Chapter 12

Nami allowed her fingers to trail down the washboard abs of her boyfriend as he lay on the examining table. She smiled when he winced away from her touch and groaned because she tickled him. It was funny to see such a small thing effect such a big man so adversely.

"Stop it," he grumbled, pushing her hand away when she tried it again.

"All right, kids, are we ready to begin?" Kisuke asked when he strode into the room staring at the chart in his hands.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Grimmjow responded with determination. He would be subjected to another battery of injections today to make sure everything kept functioning as it should. What should be a routine checkup was never routine for him.

Nami sat down on the stool beside the bed. She forced a calm smile when his blue eyes full of worry and dread turned to hold her brown ones. They both knew what was coming, and he knew it was going to hurt like hell. She hated this. Taking his hand in hers, she held it tightly in her attempt to comfort him as well as herself. At times she felt like begging him to stop this or imploring Kisuke not to do it anymore. However, she knew in the end Grimmjow would not halt his quest to be fully human which was all for her. Sometimes the guilt she carried became nearly unbearable. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip when Grimmjow squeezed her hand and grunted from the pain of the large needle being inserted into his arm for the cocktail of hormones and genetic material to be slowly distributed through his system by the IV.

"This should be the last treatment to get rid of the lingering effects of the second stage," Kisuke said, scribbling notes into the chart.

Nami resisted the desire to remind him he said that two treatments ago. She stood up from her perch, pressing a kiss to Grimmjow's lips while his face contorted from the pain of the foreign substances setting fire to his veins. They had been here for several weeks already and this seemed to be dragging on and on. Her days were spent pretty much like they were at the other lab: typing and doing paperwork. The one thing that had changed was that she no longer had to fend off sexual advances from Kisuke. That was a welcome change.

"Why haven't you two had sex yet?" Kisuke blurted unexpectedly taking the both of them by surprise.

"And just when I thought you had become a nice guy," Nami muttered with annoyance. Her irritation dissipated when she saw the grin of amusement on Grimmjow's face.

"Well, Doc, if you wanted us to put on a show for you, all you had to do was ask," he returned, receiving a poke in the ribs from the not so delighted Nami. "Ow! Nami!"

"Don't whine," she chided him, poking him again and eliciting another hiss from the tickling.

"You know you can have sex though right? He's perfectly healthy to do so and probably needs it by now," the blonde remarked in a serious tone.

"I can't believe we're having this conversation," she moaned, hanging her head to hide her face that burned with embarrassment.

"He is right. I could use a good f – " Grimmjow immediately ceased talking when he received a deadly glare from brown eyes.

"I swear if you finish that word you'll never get it again," Nami warned him. She turned her lethal expression on Kisuke to give him a withering glance. "Would it be more research? How do we know you won't watch, you epic pervert?"

Kisuke chuckled lightly meeting her fatal glower with a charming grin of sincere enjoyment. "You don't. And I can't make any promises."

~...~

* * *

Nami felt Grimmjow edge across the bed to her and held her breath. 'Damn you, Kisuke,' she thought to herself as a fantastically hard muscular body pressed against hers as she lay on her side pretending to be asleep. Her body erupted with a surge of heat from arousal and goose bumps rose from head to toe when he pressed his soft lips to her neck just below her earlobe. Apparently the ever curious and flirtatiously nosy scientist had gotten both of them to thinking about a subject they had unintentionally ignored until now. She bit her lower lip to hold back a moan when Grimmjow's large hand covered her breast. Her body responded with an immediate upwelling of sexual awakening when he pressed his hard member against her behind. She was unable to contain her gasp of astonishment when she realized he was completely naked. Rolling over toward him, she slid her arms around his neck and brought his mouth to hers.

Grimmjow pushed up her t-shirt to feel her skin against his as their tongues tangled together each vying for dominance. It pleased him when she gave up with a moan and allowed him to take control while allowing his tongue to explore her mouth at his leisure. He realized he had forgotten how sweet she tasted as he reacquainted himself with every area of her mouth and tongue. He was also reminded how wonderful her body felt beneath his inquisitive fingertips that played over her breasts feeling the nipples rise and harden under his delicate touch.

"Grimmy," she murmured, pulling her lips from his when his fingers slid down her belly.

Grimmjow slid his hand between her thighs rubbing against her womanhood. He groaned with satisfaction and excitement when a wet spot developed beneath his probing fingers. He had been hoping she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Pushing the panties to the side, he slipped into her yearning body easily.

"I've missed this so much," he whispered, holding her hips as he took long, unhurried strokes inside of her.

"Oh, my god, me too," she gasped, raking her fingers through his soft blue hair. She had longed for this more than she was willing to admit to herself much less to him.

"Love me?" he inquired, rolling onto his back while holding her on top of him.

"Always," she returned, stripping off the baggy shirt and throwing it across the room.

"Me too," he groaned, shoving upwards and lifting them both off the bed.

Nami squealed and giggled in surprise from the movement. She leaned forward, her breasts flattening against his broad chest as they kissed. Her body rubbed against his, their pelvises grinding together for a deliciously satisfying burst of pleasure. She sat back up, pressing her hands to his chest to move herself up and down his full length which rewarded her with a loud moan from him and a rise in enjoyment for the both of them. No longer caring if they were being watched, she abandoned herself to the carnal bliss that sped through her body as she impaled herself time and again on her boyfriend for the first time in many weeks – maybe even months. Time had become a fluid and senseless thing for them. It did not even matter anymore.

"Nami!" Grimmjow exclaimed, holding her tightly with his big hands clasped around her hips. "Come with me."

"Oh, yes!" she cried out, quaking as the orgasm burst forth and sent shockwaves of pleasure through her body. Her arms enclosed his neck when he sat up to hold her in his arms as he emptied himself into her both physically and emotionally with a great cacophony of noise. She did not mean to laugh but she could not help herself after the raucous reaction to his own climax.

"It's all your fault because you feel so damn good," he chuckled in her ear.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she giggled back.

"You should," he returned, kissing her briefly. His grin faded and a sadness overtook his countenance as he looked at her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of worry at his sudden change of mood. Maybe it was because of the extra hormones in his system. Kisuke had warned he might suffer some serious emotional side effects just like women do at certain times when there is a glut of hormones in their systems.

"I'll never be able to make you a mother. I can't get you pregnant," Grimmjow stated sorrowfully, his eyebrows pinching together as his face deepened into a scowl.

"I haven't even thought about that," she mumbled, hugging him briefly.

"All I've had is time to think for months now," he said, pushing a stray strand of her brown hair out of her eyes. "All I've been able to think about is us and our future."

Nami pushed up the corners of her lips although she did not feel like smiling. She had thought about their future too and sometimes wondered if they had one. Were they going to be stuck in this government facility forever? Would he be nothing more than a science experiment for the rest of his life? She regretted the day she ever stepped foot in that damn lab, however, if she had not she would have never met the interesting, to say the least, man she held in her arms now.

"Don't think about it. Not now," he murmured, kissing her on the tip of her nose. He carefully lay her down beside him, capturing her in his arms. "Just dream a good dream for me."

Nami closed her eyes, savoring the sweet kiss he placed against her lips. There had to be a better day, a better life, meant for them.

~\..'../~

* * *

Nami spoke to Kisuke about the possibility of them somehow getting a place of their own. She was happy that he did not immediately shoot down the idea and began exploring possibilities of making that happen. Perhaps they could move into a house on the base. She could still work at the lab and Grimmjow could do…something. They would find some kind of job for him. If they stayed on the base they would still be close enough for Grimmjow to be monitored and taken care of until they were sure his body was stable and the changes were complete. She still wished he had left the whole thing alone. Although when it came to wishing, it was easy to wish none of this had ever happened to begin with; it did no good whatsoever.

They were able to get their little house and move out of the lab. It was not much; just a two bedroom, cinder block government issued structure just like a hundred others on the base. But it was their home and they were thrilled. They even decided to get married having a private ceremony in their quaint home officiated by the base commander.

Every day she reported to work at the lab and Grimmjow came with her to have a daily checkup. Kisuke was able to convince the base commander that Grimmjow would be the perfect candidate to assist the drill instructors and assist with training the new recruits. Not only would he be an excellent teacher, it would also enable him to further hone his abilities and skills which had managed to stay intact despite the slow process of moving away from the transformations. Only the commander knew the blue haired man's true identity. Everyone else was told he had been transferred from a different base and they did not need to know which one or why and it was none of their business who he really was or why the hell he had blue hair. That was one of the few great things about the military; if one was ordered to keep their mouth shut they were compelled to do so with an unspoken threat of court martial or an 'accident' occurring that could result in loss of life.

"Kisuke, would it be possible to ever leave the base?" Nami inquired offhandedly one day a few months later when he loitered too long at her desk.

"Don't push your boundaries, my dear. I've done about all I can do," he warned her, standing up from the edge of her desk.

"I seriously doubt Grimmjow could go with me. Poor thing. He can't help but bring attention to himself one way or the other," she said with a smile.

As if the blue hair were not enough to warrant a stare, the body that was now even more of an intricately honed physical specimen was bound to turn heads. Grimmjow had made quite a name for himself around the base and was known as the toughest instructor there. He had garnered the nickname Major Hardass which he did not mind and actually found quite flattering. The snickers and tittering of each fresh batch of recruits upon seeing their blue haired instructor was always swiftly replaced with tears or shudders of horror thereafter once they had experienced what the man could do.

"But maybe…could I…" She faltered unable to find the right words. She hated the thought of leaving Grimmjow behind but once again the four walls of her world had grown very small around her.

"I'll see, Nami," he assured her, giving her an understanding smile.

Nami had been thinking a lot lately. The topic of a baby had come up again and they had discussed several different possibilities. Adoption and artificial insemination were the definite frontrunners of plausible options. Artificial insemination seemed to be the most inviting alternative because then the baby would at least have her genetic code. But what about the father? How could they be sure of what they were getting at a sperm bank? The face of a certain orange haired man had formed in her mind when they talked about donors. She failed to mention her idea to Grimmjow since she was unsure of how he would react to the suggestion. She had an idea of how to broach the subject with him.

~...~

* * *

"What's this?" Grimmjow queried with obvious suspicion when he arrived home to a candlelight steak dinner and Nami waiting for him a skimpy black negligee with nothing on underneath. He was too apprehensive to be excited by what he saw much to her disappointment.

Nami sighed heavily and decided to get right to the crux of the matter. "I have a certain person in mind for a donor," she announced directly.

"Oh?" he asked with a blue eye brow arching nearly into his hairline. He had deliberated how long it would take her to get around to this. It had showed all over her face the night she had the burst of brilliance of her asking her _friend_ who had already been so accommodating and helpful to them. He had not had the nerve to bring it up first. It would be the ultimate in 'take my wife, please' jokes and the joke would be on him. How could he dare to bring it up first?

"What about Ichigo?" she asked finally after a long pause.

"But that hair – "

"Really? The hair?" Her eyes were staring at the blue coif on his skull to silently but ever so loudly make her point. "Besides, brown hair is a dominant trait."

Grimmjow smiled. She had learned far too much about genetics for his own good, but what choice did she have? His smile faltered when he thought about what he must have put her through over the last six months not to mention what transpired before they even came to the base.

"I don't know, honey. I – " His words were cut off with a kiss.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," she told him. She felt a little ashamed for making the suggestion at this time. Redirecting his attention, she seized her glass of wine to take a sip. "We still have a fantastic dinner and – "

Grimmjow interrupted her this time by covering her lips with his. "Yes, but there's something else I want first."

"Oh my…"


	13. Chapter 13

Ichigo heard a scraping sound at his back door. He opened the door and glanced around without seeing anything. Just as he was about to close the door, the sound of breathing reached his ears. It sounded like the panting of a human as if they had been running for miles.

"Is there someone out here?" he called into the darkness. It was a new moon night and completely pitch black. He could barely see anything. The light from the far off street lamp offered only dim illumination but it was enough to pick up the movement to his right. Whatever it was, it was big, human-like. Reaching out without thinking of the possible danger, he seized the unknown being.

"Ichigo," it breathed in a familiar feminine voice. Two eyes that were lit as if from an internal glow turned on him.

"Nami! What the hell – " The rest of his question was halted when a pair of lips pressed against his. A searching tongue entered his mouth as the smell of lavender and vanilla permeated his nose. Oh, dear god it was her. He had been unable to forget her taste or smell and the memories and feelings came flooding back. It had been nearly a year since he had seen her. Although he thought of her often, he never tried to contact her. He only wished the best for her and wished to let her go for his own sake.

Nami pushed him back into the house without removing her lips from his. She kicked the door closed behind them and continued pushing him toward the hallway.

Ichigo was unable to stop her from sliding him across the polished hard wood since he was wearing socks. He struggled to pull her lips from his which was made more difficult by his lack of conviction to stop kissing her in addition to her surprising strength. There was something different about her; a wild, untamed component she never had before. She had always been so quiet and reserved. This was new and exciting whatever it was.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, grabbing each side of the door facing to his room to keep her from shoving him inside.

"I wanted to come see you," she panted, kissing him once again. Her fingers slipped under the edge of his t-shirt, and her hands flattened against his hard muscled belly.

"Why are you doing this?" he questioned, grabbing her hands through his shirt when they began an upward slide to his chest.

"I've missed you," she answered, pulling her hands from his and removing them from under his shirt.

"I've missed you too, but that's not it," he said, sliding one arm around her shoulders while using the other hand to cradle her head. Her eyes looked the same in the light; the same deep chocolate brown. What had caused that disconcerting iridescence outside? Maybe it had been just a weird reflection from some object that was on the back porch. Or could his eyes be playing tricks on him? As he looked into those brown eyes of hers, the unadulterated lust he saw there was unmistakable.

"Why are you here?" he repeated, wanting so badly to indulge the hunger he saw there because he had felt many times before and now was not an exception.

"I want you to make love to me," she replied bluntly without breaking eye contact.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that," he murmured, trailing his fingers through her thick brown hair that flowed almost to her waist. "But I can't."

"What?" she asked, hoping she had heard him wrong.

"Nami, as much as I want to, I can't. We would just be using each other and you know that." He pulled her close to him, refusing to let her go even when her body stiffened under his touch.

"I'll leave then. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking," she mumbled, pushing against his chest in an attempt to get out of his embrace.

"I don't want you to leave me yet," he whispered in her ear, allowing his lips to graze her earlobe.

Nami felt a wonderful tingle race up her spine. She wanted him. She had been about to leave earlier, losing her nerve to approach him after watching him through the window. Second guessing her reason for being here, she had decided to leave after realizing it was a stupid idea. Grimm had allowed her to come although it was grudgingly. Then Ichigo had opened the door. She had tried to run, but he had grabbed her. After that, rational thought had fled entirely. However, her husband had accused her many times lately of having lapses in coherent thought. Even Kisuke had accused of her acting like a cat in heat when she accidentally rubbed against him in the lab one day. Her coworker did not even have clue what was going on at home unless Grimmjow had told him which was quite possible.

"Ichigo," she murmured, sliding her hands up his thick neck and into his wonderfully soft spikes. She bit her lower lip as his dark eyes fluttered shut, and he moaned softly as she stroked him repeatedly by raking her fingers through his hair. All of this was very arousing to her and she pressed her body closer to his as his fingers pressed into her waist.

"Nami, you're making this hard – " He paused immediately, regretting his poor word choice when she rubbed against him. "I mean you're making this very difficult for me. I want to do the right thing."

"I am making it quite _difficult_ for you, aren't I?" she said in a teasing manner, pressing her hand against a certain part of his anatomy which made it difficult for the both of them.

"Nami, dammit, stop," he growled through clenched teeth, unable to reach down and pull her hand away although he knew he should. Opening his eyes, they met hers which did not improve his resolve and only undermined it further. His finger traced her lips which were swollen and blood red and even more inviting than before.

"Kiss me," she implored him, moving her hand against him. A burst of heat exploded within her when his long, dark lashes dropped against his lightly tanned cheek and his mouth opened in a silent moan.

"Oh, god, I won't resist you much longer," he warned her, laying his hand over the top of hers that was cupping his throbbing member.

"That's what I'm hoping for," she purred, rubbing him through his ever tightening jeans.

"What about your boyfriend?" He held her hand, pressing it against him harder instead of trying to stop her. He laid his cheek against hers, breathing into her ear as his breath came in loud ragged gasps.

"He's not my boyfriend," Nami answered, shivering as his warm breath entered her ear and only heightened her arousal.

"Oh?"

"He's my husband."

"Oh, damn," Ichigo gasped more in reference to the increasing the pressure of her hand than the startling revelation of the change of relationship status. "Why are you here?"

"That's the third time you've asked me," she informed him, unbuttoning his jeans as his fingertips roamed across her breast.

"Then answer the question. One thing hasn't changed. You're still stubborn as hell," he remarked, placing his hand over breast and squeezing. He smiled with satisfaction when she moaned his name. It was time to entice her a bit as well.

"I want a baby," she replied forthrightly, sliding down the zipper. She hoped he did not ask for the reason because explaining the whole biological issue would be a real mood killer.

"Why me?" He clutched her wrist to keep her from sliding her hand into his underwear. Taking a step back from her, he held her wrist firmly while keeping his other arm locked around her shoulders.

"Because you're my best friend. I trust you. You love me. And I – " She hesitated, looking into his half lidded, arousal glazed eyes. "I love you."

"You don't have to lie to get me into bed with you," he told her, offering her a feeble smile.

"I'm not," she returned, stepping toward him to close the small gap between them. Rising onto her tiptoes, but still inches from his lips, she pulled his head down to bring his lips to hers. "I love you."

Ichigo had no intention of questioning her as to how she could love two men or any of the other dozens of questions racing through his brain. Picking her up and holding her against his body, he carried her to the bed to lay her down gently. This was the moment he had waited for and dreamed about since meeting her. It was easier not to think about the pretenses she had come to him under for this to happen. Concentrating on the beautiful woman next to him, he undressed her and savored every touch of her fingertips as she undressed him. His hands roamed over her body, and he was thrilled when she allowed him to do as he pleased. Each groan of delight from her or his name being spoken from her lips was stimulating and magnificent. He did not know if he would ever see her again after this, and he was too afraid to ask. However, she had said she wanted a baby from him.

"Nami, please promise me you will allow me to see the baby if you get pregnant," he said, meeting her stunned gaze evenly.

"I-I will," she stammered. She had never anticipated confessing her reason for seducing him so this question caught her completely off guard. Her eyes held his as he slowly entered her body. It was quite a task to keep her eyes open but she wanted to hold his ardent gaze as he made love to her.

Entering her body had to be done a maddeningly slow pace to keep from losing it right at the beginning. Now that he finally had her, he wanted to make it last as long as possible. Ichigo had to pace himself carefully to hold on. When she bucked her hips at him to implore him to go faster, he held her hips against the bed with his hands to keep her from moving.

"Please," she begged, wanting him to move more aggressively. "I need more."

"I-I can't. I-I'll…" he stammered, allowing his words to trail off when she grabbed his behind and pulled him down into her. He exhaled loudly, moaning her name as she thrust her hips up at him.

"Just do it. I will be there when you are," she murmured, enclosing his hips with her legs. She cried out in astonishment and pleasure when he thrust into her with remarkable speed and force. His animalistic grunts reminded her of Grimmjow's when he was at his most feral. A warmth began to grow deep in her belly with each sound of his increasing ecstasy while the tension grew in her body to signal the coming end.

"Nami, are you – "

"Oh, Ichigo, yes, just keeping going!"

Ichigo cried out from the simultaneous pleasure and pain from his climax while her fingernails sank into his back and clawed him from his neck to his lower back all the way through her quaking orgasm. He dragged in great heaving gulps of air as she struggled to breathe beneath him. Rolling onto his side, he pulled her with him by holding her against his body.

"Will you stay with me? Just for tonight," he added when her lips parted to form a word.

"Yes," she answered, kissing him briefly.

"Will you be gone when I wake up?"

"Most likely."

Ichigo held her against him more tightly wishing there was something he could do or say to make her stay. However, he had to remember she was Grimmjow's _wife_. Nuzzling his nose into her hair, he began committing every detail of her to his memory: her scent, the softness of her hair and skin, the pleasure she had brought him. He hoped she was pregnant. She had a promise to keep. If she was pregnant, he would definitely see her again.

~\0/~

* * *

Grimmjow stared at his wife as she lay on the bed next to him. She could move as stealthily and soundlessly as him and had even managed to sneak up on him a few times recently. Apparently now was one of those times. He was not sure when she had arrived home this morning. He had not known when she left either because he had not wanted to know. She was on a mission of her own; or so he told himself to alleviate some of the remorse he felt. Just like any military maneuver he knew the basic details and the rest was up to her to carry it out. He sighed deeply, reaching out to touch her cheek. The dampness of her hair from her shower was evident when he twirled a tendril around his finger. She had not been home long. He rolled away from her and lay on his back thinking. The dreary gray of dawn slowly lit up the room as he stared at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

Nami opened her eyes to look at her husband. She pushed back at the tidal wave of guilt that threatened to consume her. She should never have left the house last night. But having a baby had been all he had talked about for months. Adoption had been taken away as an option because there were too many questions about Grimmjow's past that could not be answered, and it had become cost prohibitive. They did not want to play genetic Russian roulette with an anonymous donor. Besides, asking Kisuke to perform the artificial insemination was out of the question because she would have become his next great science experiment. She never could picture asking Ichigo for a sperm sample and using a turkey baster for an at home version of the process. Was it really cheating if Grimmjow knew about the whole thing and agreed to it? Maybe not. After all, it was a necessary means to an end that he wanted – a baby.

"Do you regret it?" she asked in the diminishing darkness as the sun continued to rise.

Grimmjow pressed his lips together before the 'yes' left them. He tried to think of something profound to say before his silence gave away the answer. "It's too late even I did."

Nami pressed her hand against her abdomen. Tears burned her eyes but she refused to shed them. Now they would both have to live with the consequences of what comes next and it was already uncertain if their relationship would survive. She wanted to scream at him that it was his dumb idea but then it was her own stupidity to go along with it.

The first feeble golden rays of sunlight broke through the steel gray light and flooded the room. Nami sat up and prepared to leave the room. There was no way she would be going back to sleep anyway. She stopped when her husband's strong fingers grasped her wrist and held her still. Her head swung around and his pleading blue eyes bore into her brown ones.

"Don't leave me. I need you. More than ever," he said, tugging on her arm.

Nami moved across the bed to lie next to him. She gasped when he moved on top of her, roughly shoving her nightgown up to her waist. The sound of ripping material made her whimper as he tore off her underwear. She was not frightened and suddenly wanted him.

"You're always mine. No matter what," he reminded her, thrusting into her body.

Nami recognized the definitive animalistic need she had not experienced from him in a long time. She also realized this about more than sex; he was reestablishing his dominance, his possession of her. Kisuke might have rid Grimmjow of the outer transformation but he had not freed him from the deep seated instincts of a male animal. Her fingernails dug into his shoulder blades, sinking into the skin.

Grimmjow yelled out her name as the burning pain stung his shoulders. He looked down at her, making eye contact fleetingly before she closed her eyes. He would have sworn he saw elongated pupils but it was hard to tell in her dark eyes.

"Baby, open your eyes. Look at me," he panted as he pushed into her hard and fast. He studied her eyes when she opened them and thought it must be his imagination because the pupils were round as usual.

"Oh, Grimmy," she moaned, closing them again as she began to writhe beneath him from a climax.

Grimmjow felt something warm and wet trickling down his back as she finished off. He was unable to think about it for long as his orgasm made his brain and his body explode with pleasure.

"Whatever happens with this, I love you," Grimmjow told her, kissing her fiercely. He winced from the tearing sensation across his lower lip when her teeth scraped it. Pulling away from her, he pressed his finger to his lip before pulling it back to see blood.

"What happened? Did I cut you?" she asked in disbelief staring at the bright red liquid on his finger.

"I'm fine. It's nothing. I shouldn't have kissed you so hard," he rejoined, licking across his lip which caused the metallic taste of his blood to fill his mouth. He would have to talk to Kisuke about this. Something weird was going on with her.


	14. Chapter 14

Nami stared at herself in the mirror as she waited for the pregnancy test to form a result. She pulled back her lip to look at her teeth. Her canines looked a little long and extra sharp. She would have to make an appointment to go see the dentist on the base to see what was going on with her teeth. They all had become excessively sharp recently, particularly her incisors. There was also something odd going on with her vision. Everything seemed so excessively bright and clear. She was happy she could see better than usual but it made her want to wear sunglasses all the time. Sounds seemed louder, scents seemed more pungent. Were all of these symptoms of pregnancy? Sometimes she would get so overwhelmed with the sensory overload at work she would have to lock herself in one of the empty closets to calm down.

The timer beeped and she grabbed the small white stick from the back of the toilet. Her eyes stared at the big blue plus sign. Well, the result was evident: she was positively pregnant.

~\..'../~

* * *

Kisuke stared at the chart in his hand, flipping through the pages back and forth as if he were searching for something he missed. His eyes momentarily drifted over his assistant who lay on the table in a paper nightgown awaiting an ultrasound. She was pregnant. But how? According to all of his data there was no way it could happen. However, the pregnancy test he administered told a different story. Going by her information and his calculations, she was eight weeks pregnant.

"What have you done, Nami?" he asked, pushing open the gown to reveal her softly rounded pooch. He pressed around on her belly feeling the muscle of the uterine wall. Why the hell was she was so big already? He was getting more questions than answers and it was beginning to irritate him.

"What do you mean, Kisuke?" she queried with feigned innocence. She jumped and squealed when he squirted the cold gel on her abdomen. "You could have warmed that up. That was mean."

"I could have, but you're not being truthful with me, Nami. What's going on?" he demanded, pressing the transducer against her belly. He flipped a switch on the machine and they could hear the heartbeat. There was an extraneous sound, like an echo. "What the hell is going on now?"

Nami rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration as the man commenced to beating on the machine. If it was not already broken, it would certainly be damaged now. Why did men think violence fixes electronics? The resounding heartbeat only got louder. She thought she saw the lima bean shaped and sized white spot divide into two.

"Holy hell mitosis!" Kisuke yelled before he could stop himself and actually think about what he was seeing.

"It's twins, you idiot!" she bellowed back, grabbing the man by his lapels and pulling him away from the machine before he destroyed it.

They both froze and stared at each other momentarily before turning their attention to the screen. There they were: two little forming humans floating in her womb.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, grasping the astounded man's lab coat tighter. "I'm having twins."

"Whose twins?" he asked.

"Shut up, Kisuke."

"So it's happened?"Grimmjow asked when he arrived home to another candlelit steak dinner.

"You're not happy?" Nami inquired, her eyes burning with tears.

"Of course I'm happy," he replied, pulling her into his arms.

Nami did not believe him. Her eyes closed and a lone tear escaped from each of her eyes. She pressed her face against the smooth warm skin of his neck, seeking comfort in his touch despite the stiffness of his body. He was as unyielding emotionally as he was physically. She clung to him anyway, giving into the tears that seared her eyes. Maybe she was just being paranoid and overemotional due to the pregnancy.

Why was he so angry with her? Grimmjow was not sure. He tried to make his body relax while she held onto him tightly as if he were her last tie to her sanity. It was too late now. It had been too late months ago when she went out that night to seek Ichigo. His arms constricted around her neck as he held her against him while she cried silently, her tears wetting his neck while she shivered in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking her waist length deep brown hair.

Nami could not hold back the heart wrenching sob before it left her lips. She was sorry too. For all of the good it did. Pushing him away, she raised her teary eyes to his blue ones that looked as cold and blue as an arctic iceberg.

"I'm having twins," she announced, staring at him numbly. Without allowing it to affect her, she watched as his eyes widened in shock before he dropped weakly to his knees in front of her.

"Twins," he muttered, enclosing her waist with his hands.

Nami stroked his fuzzy hair that was kept in a short military style cut now. She missed being able to run her fingers through his long hair; to twist it around her fingers idly when kissing him or to pull gently it when he drove her to the edge of oblivion. She longed for when they were closer - when their love flowed freely and without inhibitions. Her fingers drifted over his cheek and slid under his chin to pull it up so she could see his handsome face that she loved so much even now.

"Do you still want me? Do you still love me?" she queried, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with him. She held her breath when he pressed his hand against her belly.

Grimmjow pressed his fingers into her softly rounded tummy, picturing the babies inside. What would they look like? Would they look like her? Or would they look like _him_? Perhaps they should have taken their chances with an anonymous donor. 'Too late...go from here,' he reminded himself, pressing his forehead against her abdomen that was already distended slightly from the pregnancy.

"Yes, yes I do," he murmured, raising the t-shirt she wore to press his lips against her skin. "I don't care who the father is. I'll be a great daddy to these babies. And I'll always, always be your husband."

Nami bit her lower lip, closing her eyes before the fresh batch of tears had a chance to form and fall. Encircling his neck with her arms, she held him while he pressed his cheek against her belly. She was sure he would be true to his word. He would be a great daddy. He was already a great husband.

~\..'../~

* * *

Kisuke sat at his desk going over the paperwork. He had given Nami her sixteen week check up that day complete with an ultrasound and amniocentesis. So far the pregnancy was progressing nicely. The babies were growing and developing normally. The mother was healthy despite having morning sickness that lasted all day and sent her scurrying to the restroom several times during the work day. Even the father seemed to be more happy since he had recovered from the inital shock. Or was there something else going on there that both of them refused to tell him? Shaking his head, he stared at the printout from the computer of the results from the amniocentesis. Something was not adding up. Could the machine be broken?

All of the tests for birth defects were negative which was a very good thing. However, the DNA profile was completely wrong from one of the fetuses. One matched the DNA from the orange haired man who had been with Nami that day he saw them at the mall. He was glad he had kept and ran those hair and saliva samples that had been inadvertently left behind from the man's epically short visit to the lab. Somehow he knew if Nami ever came up pregnant that man would have something to do with it because they all knew she could not get pregnant by Grimmjow. It was a biological impossibility. Or was it?

Jumping out of his desk chair, Kisuke rushed to the computer to pull up Grimmjow's files, particularly his DNA information. Running back to the lab table, he grabbed the piece of paper showing the results of the DNA from the amniocentesis. The profile of one of the budding pieces of humanity growing within Nami fit Ichigo Kurosaki with a ninety nine point four percent rate of certainty. His eyes flicked back and forth from the paper to the screen as he compared the other markers from the second set of DNA.

"Oh, god it can't be," he gasped to himself.

How did this happen? Dropping heavily into the chair behind him, it rolled slightly as he went completely limp and weak from the stunning revelation he had just made. He had accidentally created another hybrid; or rather the expectant and totally clueless parents had. One of the babies Nami was carrying was without a doubt her husband's and another...what the hell would it be?

Kisuke shook his head and scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration as the anxiety grew within him. But how? How was it possible? Unless...unless something changed in Nami. Leaping out of the chair with renewed fervor, he retrieved the vial of blood he had taken from Nami that day. His fingers shook as he prepared the sample to be tested and analyzed. A sick feeling grew in the pit of his stomach and threatened to make him vomit as he waited for the sample to process. Pacing nervously, he impatiently waited for the results. He tried to further distract himself by checking and rechecking the results of the amoniocentesis against the on file analysis from the two men who were, according to the scientific data, the fathers.

When the machine began printing the conclusion of the test, the distraught scientist sprang from the chair sending it rolling backwards into the metal filing cabinets with a loud bang. He snatched the piece of paper from the machine and compared it to Nami's DNA record that was on file. He was glad that Mayuri's mistrust and paranoia had paid off. The original mad scientist had insisted that every employee be put through a battery of tests including DNA profiling as a condition of their employment. The man's psychosis had known no bounds.

"Thank you, you psycho," Kisuke mumbled to himself, pausing to close his eyes and push away the memory of the make up wearing man's last moment. He had willingly and almost gleefully volunteered for the mission to murder Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Unfortunately, he was still haunted by that last moment before he pulled the trigger.

_Mayuri's weird golden eyes stared into his as he pressed the muzzle of the heavy, large gauge pistol to the man's forehead which was it's normal color of lightly tanned flesh since there were no traces of the make up. Kisuke had snuck up on the man who was working in his lab at home. He had been horrified to find out what had happened to some of their former employees who had suddenly quit. No wonder they could no longer able to come to work. They could not call in dead or while being held prisoner at the crazy man's home lab while enduring experiments that made the evil taking place at the business laboratory look tame in comparison. He regretted that he would have to kill them as well but maybe that would end their suffering. Shaking his head to clear his mind and come back to the task at hand, he pushed the gun against the man's skull, forcing his head backwards. Mayuri's intense gaze never wavered, although he knew he was about to die._

_"Any last words, Kurotsuchi?" Kisuke inquired, focusing on the wall behind him. He could no longer bear to meet the man's affectless and unblinking stare._

_"I regret nothing except not killing you and that woman, Nami," he remarked tonelessly, grabbing Kisuke's hand and forcing him to pull the trigger._

"Kisuke," Nami whispered, pressing her palm against the sleeping, disheveled man's cheek. She sprang back when he jumped up from the desk with a sudden burst of movement. His eyes were wild and terrified as if he were not quite sure where he was or who she was. Had he slept at the lab? What was he doing all night and why did he look so frightened?

"What are you doing here Nami? It's the middle of the night," he muttered, rubbing his hands over his face. He felt the rough stubble over his chin and jaw beneath his fingertips. Squinting, he realized sunlight flooded the room. "What time is it?"

"It's seven thirty in the morning. I came in early today. What's going on?" she asked, staring at him quizzically.

Ignoring her as he rifled through the stack of papers maniacally, Kisuke found the pages he was looking for. He glanced from one page to the other, comparing her results from when she first began at the lab to the one he ran last night. Digging through the papers again, he found the page containing Grimmjow's original DNA profile where he had checked off the markers they now shared.

"Oh, god, no...no, no, no," he mumbled rubbing his eyes that burned as if acid had been poured into them.

"Kisuke? You're scaring me," she mumured apprehensively, pulling up a chair to sit beside her normally cheery and easygoing boss. The only time she had seen him even close to being this upset was the last few weeks before everything exploded, quite literally, at the lab. "What's wrong?"

"Nami, I don't know how to put this gently," he said, turning to hold her hands between his.

Nami pressed her lips together as she looked into his eyes awaiting bad news. His seriousness was very disconcerting and the fear in his big gray eyes made her more than a little apprehensive. The nausea welled within her and threatened to drive her to the bathroom for her third round of vomiting so far that morning. She sometimes wondered how the babies received any nourishment at all when she could barely keep water down much less food. Maybe that was the problem. What was wrong with her babies? Pressing her hand to her belly, she made herself continue to inhale and exhale when she felt like not breathing at all.

"No, no, the babies are fine. I think..."

"Kisuke, please - "

"Nami, one of the babies belongs to Grimmjow. You're carrying the children of two men. That's the good news," he informed her, squeezing her hands that suddenly grew cold. Her face paled and he was afraid she would faint.

"G-good n-news?" she stammered, narrowing her eyes and cocking her head questioningly. How in God's name could that be the good news?

"I went over and over the data all night long. Somehow your DNA...changed."

"Changed?"

"You're like him. Like Grimmjow. Somehow...somehow your DNA mixed. It changed," he explained, unable to find the right words because he did not quite understand it himself.

"I-I'm like him? But what am I? One of the babies is his? I-I d-don't u-understand," she stuttered, her body visibly trembling.

"Neither do I. Sweetheart, I don't know what's going on, but I'll figure it out. I'll help you," he assured her, touching her ghostly white cheek. Her eyes met his and he could see the elongated feline like pupil in her terror filled brown eyes. Oh, god...what had she become?


	15. Chapter 15

Once again, thank you to my awesome beta, xfang-girlx. Arigatou gozaimasu!

* * *

Grimmjow stoically stared at his wife as she lay in the bed in the room behind the glass. He was angry with Kisuke for not allowing her to go home for over a month, and he was furious because the man refused to tell him what was going on. All he kept saying was that he would tell him as soon as he knew. What the hell did that mean? He gripped the stiff wide brim of his drill sergeant's hat until his knuckles turned white and began to ache. He moved closer to the glass when Nami twitched and growled, baring her elongated incisors.

"Dammit," he mumbled, pressing his fingertips against the glass and wishing it was the soft skin of her cheek. "She's become what I was."

"You're correct," Kisuke said from nowhere making him flinch from the sudden and unexpected sound of the other man's voice.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I could kill you with a single hand you know," Grimmjow warned him noticing the scientist looked like he had ridden through hell and back.

The statement was completely dismissed by the distracted doctor. Kisuke's blond hair was disheveled and much more messy than usual as if he had attempted to pull it out by the handfuls. His dark gray eyes no longer held their mischievous or inquisitive spark; they were dull and foreboding like the sky before a disastrous thunderstorm.

"One of the babies she is carrying is yours. It shares the DNA code you have...well, the code you once had before we extracted it from you. Somehow your DNA merged with hers. If I had to guess, it happened due to the swapping of..." Kisuke paused, clearing his throat. For once in his life he was reluctant to make a sexual reference; maybe because of the horrible consequences it had wrought. He coughed lightly before continuing in a low voice, "various bodily fluids. Saliva, blood, semen - all of it contains genetic material. I can't explain how it happened, all I know is that it fused to hers and implanted itself into her genetic code. That's how you were able to impregnate her. When her gentic code more closely resembled yours, it enabled her to get pregnant. Otherwise it would have been a cross species mismatch and impossible."

"What is she?" Grimmjow asked, keeping his eyes on the distraught man. He was afraid if he looked at Nami the guilt would crush him. He had done this to her; this was his fault. He had infected her with - with what he _was._

"Something that has never existed before. She is the genetic equivalent of a person with a split personality. She truly is two beings in one. I don't know how this will effect her or the children. I don't know what any of this means yet. I don't - " He stopped before finishing the sentence, raking his hands through his already hopelessly mussed hair. "I don't know a damn thing and it scares me and makes me furious."

Both men turned in surprise to stare into the dimly lit room when they heard her scream. She was out of the bed and clawing the walls as if she was searching for a way out. Her six months pregnant belly protruded ominously and largely in front of her. They both feared for her and the unborn children.

"Have either of you contacted Kurosaki? He needs to know," Kisuke said, watching Grimmjow's lips compress into a thin white line. "I can call him and let him know."

"Thanks. That would be great. I wouldn't know what to say," he admitted, tossing his hat onto the nearby chair. He rubbed his hands over his face in aggravation wanting to wipe away everything that had happened. Tears stung his eyes as he stared at his beautiful wife who appeared to be a caged beast at the moment. He had made her become everything he hated about himself.

~...~

* * *

Nami sank to the floor in tears. What was happening to her? She wrapped her arms around her huge abdomen, hugging the babies inside of her. It felt as if they were fighting with each other inside of her as little fists and feet pummelled her innards. She could not stop the smile from forming on her face when she thought they were already so much like their fathers. This whole situation was so damn surreal. She had become a freaking were-cat and was pregnant by two men at once. Shuffling through the files of her memory, she could not recall ever seeing a wretched B-movie with such a horrible plot. This was no doubt science fiction but it was happening to her and it terrified her.

Forcing herself to a standing position, Nami returned to the bed just as the door opened and her husband walked in. She held out her arms for him like a scared child after a nightmare. It was a nightmare that she was trapped in and living on a day to day basis. This had to be hard on him as well. And what about Ichigo? What would he think about all of this? She had not even been able to work up the nerve to contact him and tell him about the pregnancy much less anything else.

Nami pushed those thoughts aside to revel in the feeling of her husband's strong arms around her. She turned her nose toward his neck, deeply breathing in the scent of him. She had never noticed he had such a distinct and intoxicating scent before. An unexpected warm feeling stirred deep within her and she was soundly kicked by both fetuses at once as if to remind her it was those feelings and urges that created them. It was interesting she was now attracted to him on such a base, animalistic level. Pressing her lips against the smooth sensitive skin of his neck, she sniffed again, feeling dizzy from the heady scent of sweat, adrenaline, and masculinity. Her tongue darted out and licked the full length of his neck from his collar bone to beneath his earlobe.

"Nami, stop," Grimmjow pleaded, shuddering with excitement from her weirdly erotic action.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I can't help it," she said, pressing her lips to his. She unapologetically straddled his lap, ignoring her belly that tried to keep them separated.

"Honey, please don't," he begged helplessly between the loud smacking kisses she showered on his lips. It had been a month since he touched her, and he wanted her. Her confinement had imposed an unwanted celibacy on them both.

"Please, I need you," she murmured, unlatching his belt and stripping it from the belt loops with a single hard pull.

"But someone will see," he mumbled against her lips that were once again covering his.

"Let them look. I don't care," she growled, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. She noticed his protests stopped at the simple verbal expressions of concern. At no point did he try to physically restrain her; not even as she grabbed his stiff member and pulled it free from his khaki uniform pants.

"Oh, god, Nami," he gasped as she impaled herself on him with one swift movement.

Grimmjow held her close with his face buried between her breasts which had also seemed grow on a daily basis as her belly expanded. His groans of pleasure and approval were drowned by his attempts to lick and kiss her newer, bigger breasts which he had not been able to enjoy fully. Although the 'new' her struck a chord of fear deep within him, it definitely had it's benefits. He gave up trying to lavish his affection on her breasts as she worked herself on top of him like a madwoman. Instead he lay back and watched the show, relishing every expression of elated carnal joy that crossed her lovely face while each moan of his name only excited him further. A sudden tightening between his legs warned him she was about push him over the edge.

"Nami," he called to her, stroking her cheek with his fingertips until she opened her eyes. Sitting up, he kissed her to stifle the cry of pleasure from her lips as she climaxed which promptly caused him to release inside of her with an explosive burst of pleasure from his own orgasm. "You're amazing," he panted, holding her as she trembled on top of him.

"Despite what I am?" she inquired, stroking his head that lay against her heaving chest.

"Because of what you are," he said, allowing the tears to come.

All he could do was love her and what she had become would not stop that. After all, she had loved him first when he was a beast. How could he leave her? He felt the babies inside of her belly move; the soft fluttery feeling moved across his skin like a muscle spasm in his own abdomen. Pressing his hands to her tummy, he could not stop the smile from tilting his lips. He had become a father after all. But there was another who had become a father.

~\..'../~

* * *

_Days later..._

"What is he doing here?" Grimmjow demanded when the orange haired man appeared in the corridor with Kisuke. He had been standing outside of her room waiting for her to wake up. Kisuke had given her a tranquilizer shot earlier when she had another 'episode' and could not get calmed down.

"He wanted to see her. I think he should. After all, one of the unborn infants belongs to him," Kisuke reminded him as if he could forget.

Unfortunately, Kisuke was correct. Ichigo did have the right to know about the child and should see her since she was carrying his baby too. Both men eyed each other suspiciously, each wondering what the hell they should do and how they should handle the situation. They both had a huge stake in the matter being equally deep in the situation since they each had a descendant on the way.

"I suppose you and I should come to some kind of agreement about things," Grimmjow said, rubbing the back of his neck apprehensively. It was against his nature and his better judgment to be a peacemaker; particularly with man who he had viewed as an enemy even before he was human.

Ichigo sighed deeply with resignation. What choice did they have? Things were already strained and tense enough without the extra added animosity between them. If they did not find some way to deal with each other on somewhat friendly terms for Nami, they needed to do it for the children. Putting out his hand in a friendly gesture of compliance, he forced a smile when the odd blue haired man he held so much hatred and jealousy for shook it. He wondered if the man knew what a lucky bastard he really was. Although Grimmjow's life was far from ideal, he still envied him because he had the one thing Ichigo would never have: Nami's heart and undying love. However, now they had a shared interest in her. She would be giving them both legacies who would carry on a part of them even after they were dead. His deep brown eyes moved to the glass window to see her lying in the bed. Rage washed through him like a hot burning wave when he saw the restraints that held her arms buckled to the rails that were raised on the sides. His fingers curled into tight fists but he managed to keep them held by his sides.

"Is that necessary? Why is she tied down?" he asked, his voice shaking with wrath. His lightly tanned face flooded with a deep red hue as his anger proceeded to escalate when the other two men exchanged dumbfounded looks but stayed silent.

"You didn't tell him?" Grimmjow demanded, seizing the thunderstruck Kisuke by the lapels of his labcoat.

"Tell him what? I don't know what the hell to tell him," the astonished blonde shot back defensively.

"You could have told him SOMETHING, you moron!" the irate blue hair yelled in the other man's face.

"Hey," Ichigo said calmly in attempt to gain their attention and try to get information as to what was going on.

"Oh? And just what would that be _genius?_ Who's the doctor here?" Kisuke snapped, snatching his lab coat from the clutches of the angry husband.

"I don't know, _Doc!_ You tell me! You're the one who started all this mess!"

"I was not!"

"HEY!" Ichigo bellowed to stop the men quarreling like children. "Someone tell me something or I'm going to beat the hell out of both of you until you do."

"Just try it pal and I'll -" Grimmjow began, menacingly moving toward the equally livid orange haired man.

"Stop it!" Kisuke yelled, rapidly speculating how much time it would take for him to reach the phone in his office to call the MPs. "Everybody just shutup and calm the hell down! I'll try to explain this the best way I can. Sit down. We'll be here for a while."


	16. Chapter 16

First off, I have to give credit where credit is due: thank you to my beta xfang-girlx for catching my mistakes and helping me to look like a more professional writer. :)

* * *

Ichigo was beginning to reconsider to his rash decision made in anger. He had always been accused of being hot-headed and making spur of the moment decisions he would regret later. As the door moved against his back and something else crashed to the floor in the room he had locked her in, he was afraid this would be another one of them. If she did not kill him, surely the husband or the scientist would for taking her from the lab. Leaning his head against the shaking door as she snarled and screeched like a beast while clawing for exit, he thought back over the events that had transpired over the last twenty-four hours.

After listening to the explanation straight from a bad science fiction movie given by the scientist, he had been allowed to go into Nami's room. Ichigo could only stare at her at first, frozen by the shocking sight in front of him. Her hair had grown to her waist and lay in disarray around her. She had become incredibly lean and muscular except for the huge bulge at her middle. Her lips parted and long sharp incisors rested against her bottom lip. Once he was over the initial astonishment of the teeth, his eyes moved over the thick brown leather restraints with shiny silver buckles that tethered her wrists to the bars of the bed. Her fingernails were extended and claw-like having the appearance of a cat's claws. His eyes traveled over her massive middle that suddenly moved beneath the sheet as the babies inside of her moved. There were two growing, developing beings inside of her: one belonged to him and one belonged to the other man. It was ironic that the _other_ man was her husband. He moved toward her, stopping when she emitted a small sound like a howl in a her sleep.

'Oh, god, what the hell has that man done to her?' he thought, closing the distance to her bed in a few steps. Placing his hand on her rounded abdomen, he felt the babies shifting beneath her skin. His other hand moved to the restraint closest to him and began unbuckling it.

"I wouldn't do that," a voice warned behind him.

Ichigo spun around to see Grimmjow standing there looking serene as if his wife weren't being held captive. "How can you let this go on?"

"You don't understand what's going on here," Grimmjow said, fury hardening his features and making his face take on a slightly pink color.

"You're damn right I don't understand. Why don't you explain it to me without out of the weird fictitious crap?" he demanded, turning his back to Nami to give the blue haired man his full attention. He was taken by surprise when the man's features crumbled and he thought for sure the man would give in to the tears that sprang to his eyes.

"I wish I could. I don't understand it myself," he stated in a barely audible voice with an obvious tone of defeat.

"Damn," Ichigo grumbled, turning back to Nami before he felt sorry for her husband. "Damn it all."

"I'll give you a few moments alone with her."

Ichigo's mind immediately sprang into action formulating a plan. He was going to get her out of here and save her from the two men who were holding her against her will.

"Nami," he breathed, lurching forward as she threw her body against the door nearly knocking him down. He was instantly brought back to his present predicament. The rest of the escape had been a blur anyway. He remembered an incredibly and deceivingly heavy unconscious woman, an irate husband, and lots of gunshots and yelling.

Everything was fine until she woke up. Nami did not seem to recognize him and began going berserk. She had attempted to attack him, claws raised and teeth bared, but he had ran out of the room and closed the door. Then she had proceeded to begin tearing his bedroom apart. She was so menacing that Renji had ran and hidden upon her arrival at the house before she was even conscious. Cowardly dog...man's best friend indeed.

Ichigo should have taken the dog's reaction as a hint that he had gotten himself into something he had no clue about. Well, actually, her being strapped to the bed and then the soldier's being willing to kill him to keep him from taking her should have been his first clue as to the seriousness of the situation. He had never taken hints very well. His phone began vibrating in his pocket and out of sheer habit he reached for it. Bracing his feet against the floor to push against the door, he answered the phone as she flung herself into the door again. It would not last much longer before she splintered it into a million pieces.

"DAD!" he yelled into the phone, giving into his mounting panic.

"Son, what the hell is the matter with you?" Isshin asked, surprised by his usually quiet and unemotional son's outburst.

"I need you! Bring something, a shot preferably, of something to knock someone out!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking like he was going through puberty.

"What is going on with you?"

"Hurry, please! I'll explain later!"

Isshin heard something that sounded like a bomb going off then the phone call ended from his son's side. "What the hell..."

~...~

Isshin Kurosaki arrived at his son's house, kicking in the door before even bothering to waste time to try the knob. He entered the house to hear an animalistic screaming like that of a panther coming from the back of the house.

"Ichigo!" he bellowed running for the sound with his black doctor's bag held firmly in his hand.

"I'm back here! Hurry!" the boy yelled causing his father's level of fear to rise. This was not like his son at all; what was going on? "Oh, damn!"

Isshin found his son in the hallway with a hugely pregnant woman sitting on top of him. Without asking any questions since the woman seemed intent on killing his only male heir, he sat down his bag and retrieved the injection of valium he had prepared. Although she was pregnant, he jammed the needle into her neck anyway and pushed down the plunger before her claws penetrated Ichigo's neck. Claws? Before he could fathom the concept of claws, she turned to look at him with feral eyes complete with a catlike vertical pupils while showing her sharp teeth that would be happy drawing his blood as well since he had hurt her.

"Whoa," he muttered, backing away as she crawled off his half conscious son and moved toward him.

Nami stared at the tall, muscular man with black spiky hair and dark almost black eyes. He looked a little animalistic himself with all of the hair that covered his body including the thin coat covering his cheeks and chin. She moved toward him with hesitancy since he was a new enemy. He had caused her pain by jamming something into her neck; it had felt like a needle which she was well acquainted with. So far all of these men only caused her pain. The blonde, who was nice at first and even seemed to want to help her, poked her and prodded her constantly with his hands or needles. The blue haired man who she was so physically drawn to and appeared to be the man she loved had been the one who helped the blonde man tie her to the bed. Then the orange haired one took her away from her home and locked her in a room in a strange place. She did not understand what was going on and why these people wanted to hurt her. All she knew was that she needed to protect herself and her babies.

Nami was about to lunge at him but suddenly found that she could not move. Everything in her vision, including the dark man, wavered and blurred. She felt sleepy. What had he done to her?

"Why?" she moaned, dropping to her hands and knees from her crouching position. Her arms protectively and lovingly moved around her belly to protect her little ones. "Please don't hurt them. Help me."

"Nami," she heard the orange haired man whisper her name before she went to sleep. He seemed to care for her but she could not remember him. Who is he?

"Oh, my god," Isshin murmured, watching his son gather the unconscious woman into his arms. He knelt down beside them, peeling her arms away from her belly to feel for the children inside of her. "Who is she?" He refrained from asking his next question: _what _is she?

"Dad, I think I screwed up. I need your help to fix this," he said, pushing the hair out of her face to look at her. In repose, her face took on it's normal kindness and sweetness; she once again looked like the woman he had fallen in love with. The teeth had receeded as had the claws. He had made a mistake by taking her. He had no idea what he was getting himself into or taking her out of. He realized too late that they were actually helping her and not hurting her.

~...~

"Sir, he's back with your wife," the soldier announced nervously to his irate superior. He jumped out of the way as the blue haired sergeant strode past him purposefully. Sighing deeply, he was relieved he was not the orange haired man who was about to experience Major Hardass's wrath.

Grimmjow slammed the hat down on his head to get it out of his hands before he ripped it in half. He was going to kill Ichigo Kurosaki. Entering the lab, he pushed open the double doors to the front so hard he heard the glass crack when the heavy metal doors hit the walls behind them. People separated or scurried out of his way as he stalked down the hallway to her room with murderous intent oozing from his very being. He could see three men standing in the room with her but only one was his intended target. Stepping into the room, he beelined for the carrot top, slamming him against the wall with a hand grasped around his neck. Before he could say anything, he felt an arm encircle his neck from behind and begin to squeeze in a shockingly strong headlock. Falling to his knees, he pulled the other man down with him before shrugging him off and throwing him to the floor. He grunted as the man flipped him over and straddled his belly and prepared to pummel him senseless. 'Who is this guy?' he wondered as he grabbed the black-haired man's fist and shoved him off, kicking him against the wall. He jumped to his feet, getting ready to grapple with the irritated Ichigo who had been his intended victim.

"STOP IT!" Nami screamed, catching them all off guard and making them freeze in their tracks. Her eyes focused on the orange haired man as a momentary expression of confusion knitted her brows together and deepened her frown. "Ichigo, what are you doing here?"

"You know me?" he inquired, forgetting all about beating the blue haired man to a pulp.

"Well, duh, of course I know you," she said, reaching for him as he sat down on the bed beside her. Hugging him, her eyes fell on her husband whose cheeks had deepened to a furious crimson. "Grimmy? What are you doing?"

"That moron kidnapped you and took you away. I was just about to beat his ass for it when you stopped me," he explained, brushing off the nonexistent dirt from his uniform.

"Who is he?" she asked, looking at the dark-haired man who moved to her bed.

"This is my father, Isshin Kurosaki," Ichigo said, introducing them. She had been unconscious for the trip back to the base which gave him time to explain the situation to his father.

"Nice to meet the mother of my grandchild," he said, throwing his son a searing glance. He was still not happy with Ichigo for the situation he had gotten himself into. He was all for sowing wild oats and had indulged in his fair share of perversion, but he had been dumbfounded by the odd love triangle his son had gotten himself into.

"Being a doctor yourself, would you be able to collaborate with me, offering your expertise and opinions for helping me with this situation?" Kisuke asked, grateful to have another medical expert with which he could talk to about his unusual patient. He also wanted to get the man out of the room to allow the other three to talk to come to some kind of agreement as to how to handle their situation. He knew time was not on their side and they needed to talk while Nami was still in her right mind.

"Of course, especially considering the circumstances," the man answered, once again glaring at his son. He was thrilled with the prospect of having a grandchild; not so thrilled with the fact the mother was another man's wife and she was - definitely different. He followed the man who introduced himself as Captain Kisuke Urahara out of the room not hearing a word the man was saying. It would take a while for him to comprehend all of this.

"What do we do now?" Ichigo inquired, holding Nami's hand in his.

"You can let go of my wife," Grimmjow growled, sitting down on the other side of her and taking her other hand.

"I'm the father of one of her babies, you know," the annoyed carrot top shot back.

"I'm her husband," the blue hair retorted, glowering at him with blue eyes that virtually glowed with anger.

"Yeah, lucky bastard. I hate you for it," he admitted, ignoring the man's broad grin.

"Oh, my god, just shutup you two!" Nami exclaimed, snatching her hands away from both of them to cover her ears.

"You should at least be locked up for this. You stole a valuable science experiment from a military base," Grimmjow said, tasting the bitterness of the words he had just uttered. He remembered he had once been a valuable science experiment as well.

"That science experiment is your wife, you asshole," Ichigo growled.

"Hey, I'm still here, you guys," Nami announced, punching them both in the arms.

"Ow!" they yelled in unison.

"Now, listen, we need to act like grown ups and figure this out. I'm not sure how long I have before I become that thing again," she reminded them, shivering from the thought. She hated it when she became that animal; she forgot everything including who she was. The one thing that she never forgot was that she was a mother and would do anything to protect her children. It was time the dueling idiots remembered that and learned to control themselves.


	17. Chapter 17

I have to give xfang-girlx a big thank you for this one. She not only helped me beta this chapter but also get my thoughts straight and organized to get it written. She also assisted me with picking out the names for the babies. THANKS! :D

* * *

The last three months of her pregnancy were tenuous and stressful for everyone. Nami went into premature labor several times which coincided with her transforming into the cat-like creature that shared her DNA. Unfortunately, this required keeping her heavily sedated to prevent her from hurting herself or the children much less anyone else that came near her. A fetal monitor stayed hooked to her to constantly report the vitals of the children within her who seemed to be suffering no ill effects from either the drugs or her highly out of whack body. The two men of science, Kisuke and Isshin, still had not yet found a way separate the DNA from hers or learned why it had fused itself into her strands. The two expectant fathers were beside themselves with worry and had miraculously managed to form a friendship to withstand the stress. No one had even thought about the future or what it held for them. They would deal with that once the pregnancy was complete and the mother and babies were safe.

The day Nami went into labor was fraught with disaster. It began with a horrendous thunderstorm including a tornado that touched down on the base. Not only did it take out the power, but it destroyed several homes including that of Grimmjow and Nami. Before there was anytime to fret over the destroyed dwelling, Nami immediately ran into complications with the birth. Despite going into premature labor several times, now her body was being sluggish and the contractions were erratic and unhelpful in making her body dilate to usher the babies into this world. While performing the c-section, the back up generator sputtered causing all of the lights to go out. Kisuke unintentionally nicked an artery with the scalpel. Although it was tied off and sutured quickly, she lost copious amounts of blood that required a transfusion. Seeking an immediate donor after each man in the room gave their blood type, Ichigo was chosen since his was O negative, the universal donor. Resorting to archaic methods since there was no real time for anything else, they inserted a needle in his arm that was attached to a pump that would send his blood straight into Nami's body through the needle embedded in her jugular vein.

After several tense minutes, the first child made his entrance into the world. Kisuke was thankful the mother could not see as he carefully unwrapped the cord from the baby boy's neck. He handed the child to the nurse in the room so he could grab the other child.

Grimmjow watched as Ichigo's father assisted the nurse with cleaning off the child and testing his reactions to stimuli to check his condition. He pressed his lips together to hide his concern while wondering why the baby was not crying. Seeing the shock of fuzzy orange hair on the baby's head, he knew without a doubt who that one belonged to. An ear-splitting shriek like a cat caught in a blender drew his attention to the second child, his child, who was making his presence known to everyone. He smiled as Kisuke handed the baby to Nami along with a blanket to clean off the goopy white stuff clinging to the baby along with the blood and other fluid he did not care to think much about. However, he wanted to see his son.

Nami looked down at the baby seeing an unmistakable light coating of sky blue hair covering the baby's head. Looking up at the proud father, she accepted his kiss without thinking about the man sitting beside her giving her his blood to keep her alive. Craning her neck to see around her husband, she searched for her other child.

"Where's my other baby?" she asked, worry plaguing her when she received no answer and the room became disturbingly quiet. "Grimmy...where is he?"

About that time a sharp cry pierced the air and everyone in the room issued a collective sigh of relief. The baby instantly stopped crying when he was put in his mother's arms. Nami looked back and forth between the replicas in miniature of the two most important men in her life. Glancing at Ichigo, she watched as he was unhooked from the needle before too much blood was drained from his body. After the nurse told him she would be back with something for him, he stood up to go to Nami. He had to see his baby boy.

"They're wonderful aren't they. Perfect and so handsome," Nami murmured, kissing each one on the forehead before allowing the fathers to hold their sons. "What are we going to name them?"

The dumbfounded fathers glanced at each other over the tired mother in the bed between them. They had not even thought about names. They had all been too worried about just getting them here safely.

"I've been thinking about this," Kisuke offered helpfully. "Isshin and I have been talking about names since the subject never came up between you three. You had, uh...um, shall we say, _other_ issues to solve."

Kisuke shifted uncomfortably when Nami rose up to a sitting position to eye him suspiciously. He would never tell her about the fist fights that had occurred among the two men, almost on a daily basis. She had been too drugged out of her gourd to notice their injuries when they visited her. Clearing his throat, he finished suturing her incision before he continued. "What about Yusei for Ichigo's son and Hisoka for Grimmjow's son? They say there's a lot to a name. Hisoka means reserved which we can only hope to God he is considering who his father is."

"Hmph," Grimmjow snorted indignantly, happy with the name but not the reasoning behind it.

"Yusei means to save or help. For the problems his little brother might have, he will have to be a big helper and possibly save him...a lot," Kisuke explained, ignoring the glower directed at him from Ichigo.

"I picked that one out, son," Isshin chipped in hoping it would change his son's mind. "Even though he could have stated it less offensively, Kisuke is right. We don't know what either one of these boys are in for."

Both fathers nodded in agreement to the names and what both of the other men had said. They were too enamored with the warm little bundles in their arms to argue about anything at the moment.

Soon the room was filled with dozens of people and a flurry of activity. Rocking chairs were brought in for the fathers and bassinettes were brought in for the babies. Food for everyone in the room arrived along with presents, flowers, and balloons. The room looked as if a baby store and floral shop had exploded inside of it. After thirty minutes the gifts were still coming.

Nami was horrified to have so many visitors since she was in such a terrible state of disarray. The proud papas were more than happy to show off their newborn progeny to any and every person who stepped through the door. Finally, Kisuke and Isshin had to cut the chaos and order everyone out of the room. The babies were hungry and the mother was exhausted. After their first breastfeeding session which, if the moment had not been so tender between mother and sons, it would have been quite comical since she managed to latch a hungry child to each breast.

"Good thing she's double-barreled," Grimmjow joked, taking his son away when he fell asleep with a full belly.

"Shut up you moron," Ichigo grumbled although he was unable to fully keep the smile from lifting the corners of his mouth. He was not quite so lucky with Yusei who howled like a champion exercising his lungs and his father's patience.

"Give him here," Isshin ordered, taking the inconsolable baby from his son. Putting the baby over his shoulder with the child's belly pressed against the broadest part at the top, he patted the baby's back until he burped loudly then quieted down. He smiled at the squirming newborn who grunted and mewled impatiently as if he were still not quite satisfied.

"What's wrong with him, Dad?" Ichigo asked, stealing a glimpse at Grimmjow rocking his son. He felt envious as the man stared down at the baby who made an occasional loud sighing sound like he was announcing his contentment to the room.

"Nothing. He's just showing his personality," he chuckled, bouncing the baby gently as the child chewed on his fist as if trying to eat it. He handed the baby back to Ichigo whose face twisted into a mask of horror as if he had just been handed a live rattlesnake. "It's only a baby, son. It won't hurt you."

Ichigo ignored the snorts and giggles from the other men in the room. He glanced toward Nami who seemed to sense he needed saving from the cruel taunts of the others and beckoned him to come over and sit beside her. A smirk tilted his lips when Grimmjow's blue eyes narrowed with anger and more than a little jealousy. 'Maybe being helpless and a little clueless was not a bad thing,' he thought to himself as her arms went around him after he made himself comfortable beside her.

"Just relax. He can sense your apprehension," she murmured to him, her lips grazing his neck. She felt his body stiffen and the baby let out a squawk in immediate reaction to his father's stress. Too bad she did not know she had caused his recent tension.

Nami rubbed his neck and shoulders to help work out some of the kinks in his muscles. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling when he sighed and his body began to relax. Looking down at the infant in his arms, she saw he had stopped chewing his fist and was drifting off to sleep. She did not realize the father was doing the same thing right in her arms as she swayed slightly from side to side to rock them both. When she felt his body go completely limp against hers, she carefully lay him down in the bed with his baby boy clutched tightly to his chest. Both were sound asleep.

"Grimmy, I - " She stopped talking when she turned to see her husband was also asleep with the baby tucked under his chin and one large hand holding the baby securely to his chest. "Oh, my," she murmured to herself, smiling at the both of the them. She had never seen such a beautiful thing in all of her life.

"Nami?" Isshin called, moving to stand next to her.

"Yes?" She blinked at the big man as he stood in front of her, staring down at her in the way a father looks at a child who has misbehaved.

"What do you plan to do now?" he inquired, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"What do you mean?" she asked, anxiety from his intense scrutiny making her chest tighten.

"My son. Don't lead him on and don't break his heart. How do you plan to allow him to see his child? You've gotten yourself into quite a damn situation here, Missy, and I'd like to know how you plan to solve this problem," he demanded, his voice low with a slightly menacing quality to it.

Nami averted her eyes wondering if Ichigo would be such a vigilant father. She was sure he would be. Taking in a deep breath before she spoke, she gathered every bit of courage within her to answer him.

"I don't know, sir," she replied honestly, allowing her irritation to show. How dare he hit her with these hard questions at a time like this? "I would never break his heart. I - " She stopped before saying 'love him,' taking a moment to glance at her sleeping husband. "I care a lot about him. I never imagined things would work out this way. I have no intention of keeping his child from him. Or your grandchild from you. We're all adults here. We will work something out."

Nami could feel her body beginning to tremble, and she was holding her breath. She gasped and flinched away from him when he raised his hand.

"Don't worry," he said, pressing his hand to her cheek and kissing her on the forehead. "That's the kind of answer I was wanting to hear. However, it is quite a predicament you have created for yourself. If you ever need to talk, I will listen. I only want the best for all of you."

Nami exhaled loudly, leaning forward to hug the imposing man who had scared the hell out of her. She was glad he was not angry with her like she had thought at first.

"You need to get some sleep," he told her, noticing her expression tighten with concern as she looked at the man sleeping in her bed. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the room next door that held a real, queen size bed.

The whole room had been made up to look like a bedroom in a home. It was filled with the overflow of presents for the special newborns. She noticed that two cots had been placed in the room as well along with the bassinettes for the babies. There were several presents on the bed.

"Those are yours. You might want to open those now and go take a shower. Kisuke and I will tend to all four babies next door," he stated with a broad smile on his face.

"Okay," she giggled, watching him as he walked out of the room. Sitting down on the bed, the weariness threatened to overwhelm her but the idea of a shower spurred her on to go through the packages on the bed. She found a matching nightgown and robe set along with some fantastic smelling shampoo and body wash. Tears filled her eyes as she looked around at all of the gifts from so many thoughtful people. Gathering all of the items in her arms, she hurried to the bathroom to turn on the shower. Never before had such a simple thing as a shower been such an incredible experience. After showering, she quickly dried off and dressed before attempting to dry her hair that hung all the way down to her behind.

"Honey," Grimmjow called to her, apologizing when he startled her. "I put Hisoka down. I'm going to check out the damage at the house."

"Just stay," Nami pleaded with him, walking toward him. "It's gone anyway. There's nothing you can do."

Grimmjow pulled her into his arms, burying his face against her neck. He allowed the tears to slip from his eyes as he held her close inhaling the flowery scent of her freshly cleaned hair and body. The stress of the day had gotten to him. Nearly losing his wife and one of his children, his home being wiped out, watching her with Ichigo and contemplating how in the hell they would live out their lives - it was almost too much to handle.

"What do we do?" he mumbled against her neck.

"I don't know. We'll figure it out," she assured him, hoping that the solution to this whole situation would somehow instantly come to them. Feeling the warm wet tears on her neck, she turned her face to his seeking his lips. The kiss was gentle and comforting, giving them both the solace they needed. They still had the most important things in their life: each other and their children. There was also a second father to be considered. They were going to be one weird little family but somehow they would have to find a way to make it work - for all of them.


	18. Chapter 18

Nami had just taken Hisoka from Grimmjow to lay him down in the bassinette when the young soldier with wide blue eyes came running into the room. She smiled at him when he ripped off his hat to reveal a head full of black hair before saluting his superior and bowed to her respectfully. He appeared to be all of fourteen and scared out of his wits but she knew he had to be at least eighteen but the fear looked sincere enough. She seemed to remember his first name being something feminine or at least sounding like a girl's name.

"S-s-sir!" the boy stuttered nervously, saluting again as Grimmjow glared at him.

"What is it, Yamada? Good god, boy, spit it out! I don't have all damn day!" he yelled unnecessarily at the kid but it was part of his job. He had his work cut out for him toughening up this kid.

"There's something going on at your house, uh, where your house used to be. Um, sir, could you follow me?" he asked, turning his big dark blue eyes to Nami and offering her his arm. "You should come too ma'am."

Nami slid her arm through the young recruit's. Stopping at the door when Yusei began to fuss, she glanced back at Ichigo who was patting the baby on the back as he gently rocked him.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine," he told her, giving her a small smile.

Nami noticed how tired - and sad - he looked. She had been so caught up in the care of the babies she had not noticed how it was taking its toll on the new fathers. There was something else bothering him, something that caused that sadness he could not keep from seeping into his eyes.

"Ichi - "

"Go!" he ordered her, smiling at the irony that he had completed his own name and told her to leave at the same time.

Nami nodded, allowing the nervous young man to lead her from the room and then the research facility to the car waiting outside. She slid into the back seat and put her arm through her husband's who patted her on the hand that lay on his muscled forearm to comfort her. Or was it himself? It was debatable as to which as he stared out of the window, his blue eyebrows pinched together with concern. What could be wrong now? His hair had grown back out quite a bit and now flopped forward over his forehead that was wrinkled with worry. She reached up to pat down the hair that had begun to form into small curls at the nape of his neck.

"You're getting shaggy," she teased him, smoothing down the hair and petting him at the same time. A picture of the past, of him in his cat form, flashed through her mind briefly. Feeling as if she had been punched in the gut from the sudden emotional pain the memory brought, she gasped and lay her head on his shoulder. He was so vulnerable, so sweet when she had first fallen in love with him. He was still those things but...

"What is it? Are you okay? Are you in pain?" he asked her, seizing her by the arms and looking her over carefully. Noticing the young soldier who was driving looking at them in the rear view mirror, he glowered at him and commanded, "Eyes forward soldier."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she assured her husband who did not need another reason to worry. Smoothing her fingers over his forehead as if to brush away the worry wrinkles, she kissed him briefly on the lips. She would be glad when every deep sigh or awkward move she made no longer sent them into hysterics.

It seemed like all of the overwrought men would all calm down since the many blood tests Kisuke had ran since the birth showed the feral DNA had been almost completely eradicated from her system. Kisuke and Isshin had ran and re-ran extensive tests, and she had wondered if she would require another blood transfusion because they collected so many vials of blood from her for those tests. They determined the blood transfusion was responsible for eliminating the DNA by replacing it with Ichigo's. She could not help but smile with the thought that he would truly be a part of her all of her life and not just in the form of their child.

"What are you smiling about?" her husband asked, startling her.

"Oh, uh, um, ah, nothing," she answered, blushing hotly. Glancing out of the window, she tried to see further down the road. "Just wondering what's going on."

"We'll find out soon. We're almost there," he told her, craning his neck to see where their house once stood. Expecting to see an empty lot free of debris, he was momentarily shocked to see a roof then the rest of a house coming into view. "Yamada, what the hell - "

"It's a surprise, sir," he replied less than mysteriously with a goofy grin on his face.

Pulling up to the newly built house that was twice the size of their other one, they were further shocked to see soldiers in full dress uniform standing at attention along the cement path that led to the front door. It was the best surprise they had ever had. Grimmjow pulled his wife from the back seat of the car so they could follow their escort up to the front door where the base commander stood with the keys in his hands.

"Welcome home, Major," the commander announced, handing him the keys.

"Major," he repeated in awe. He had received a promotion in addition to a new house. He now outranked Kisuke Urahara and had finally earned the other part of the favorite nickname for him among the recruits, Major Hardass.

"Open it, honey!" Nami squealed, pulling on his arm so hard it jingled the keys in his hand.

Once inside, Nami was like a little girl lost in a toy store. She ran from room to room, touching everything and 'oohing' and 'aahing' constantly. The men chuckled as she shrieked with glee at each new discovery. It never occurred to her to be embarrassed by her actions, and she was too happy to stop. Running upstairs, she discovered all of the bedrooms. There were two Master bedrooms that opened into a huge room in the middle that had been set up as a nursery with two of everything in it. There was also two other bedrooms that would be the boy's when they grew older and no longer needed the nursery.

"It's so wonderful," she gasped, jumping into her husband's arms as they stood in the middle of the nursery that was full of clothes, toys, and myriads of other baby stuff. Someone had a stroke of genius by decorating it using a day and night theme, blue and orange. Or maybe they had just taken a cue from the fathers' hair colors and personalities. Whatever the motivation, it had magnificent results.

"Why are their two master bedrooms?" Grimmjow inquired, wondering why everyone seemed to grow so uncomfortable all of a sudden. Even the unflappable commander seemed beside himself as he pulled at his collar and turned red.

"Well, sir," Yamada began boldly, the only one brave enough to offer an explanation. "We all assumed the other father would be staying to help raise his son."

"You did, did you?" he muttered, a small flame of anger flickering to life behind his bright blue eyes.

"Grimmjow, don't," she whispered, poking him in the arm. Finally remembering the young man's name, she spoke to him. "Thank you, Hana. It's a lovely thought, but we're not sure - "

"Why not?" Ichigo asked, walking into the room with Kisuke and Isshin behind him.

"What we're going to do," she said, finishing her sentence.

But apparently, some people were sure already as to how this thing was going to go. Grimmjow sighed with resignation and Nami swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. When did their lives get so out of control? Probably from the moment he landed on her doorstep years ago.

~\..'../~

* * *

"Why won't they stop crying?" Grimmjow yelled over the noise of the twins screaming at the top of their little lungs.

None of them had gotten much sleep since moving into the house. A week had passed with little to no sleep and tempers were wearing thin. Patience was just absolutely gone.

"I don't know! And why don't you stop yelling!" Ichigo hollered back.

Even the big boys were acting like whiny children. Nami stood up from the rocking chair having reached her wit's end with all of the males in the house. She took Hisoka from Ichigo and Yusei from Grimmjow. For some reason, the boys seemed to prefer the opposite father which had given them a little sleep but tonight there was no consoling them. She put the babies down in one of the beds together and headed for the door to her bedroom.

"What are you doing? That's so mean," Grimmjow chided her, reaching into the crib to retrieve the howling Yusei.

"Don't you dare! Step back from the crib!" she shouted while glaring at them lethally. "We have got to get some sleep. Maybe they will cry it out or learn to comfort themselves or something. But they cry whether or not they are being held so please just leave them alone."

Once the adults stopped yelling, something remarkable happened. Silence except for the intermittent sigh or hiccup from a baby encompassed the room. The three adults gathered at the side of the crib to look down at a miraculous sight.

"Well, I'll be damned," Grimmjow muttered looking at the babies.

The infants had huddled together, hugging each other. Hisoka's little head was nestled under the almost nonexistent chin of Yusei whose arm was draped over him protectively.

"They only wanted each other," Ichigo marveled, reaching down to stroke the orange fuzz covered head of his son.

"Well, they did spend nine months that way," Nami muttered, too tired and aggravated to fully appreciate the syrupy sweet quality of the moment. "I'm going to bed."

"Aren't you going with her?" Ichigo inquired, patting Hisoka's back when he stirred and whimpered.

"Can I sleep with you?" Grimmjow asked, his eyebrows drawing together in annoyance when Ichigo laughed loudly. He was completely serious. He did not want to go into the room with the bear of a woman.

"Oh, dude, seriously?" Ichigo shot back recoiling with a look of disgust on his face.

"Not like that, you idiot!" he exclaimed to be shushed loudly. "I want to let her get some sleep and there will be hell to pay if I wake her up in..." He paused to look at his watch. Scrubbing his hand over his face in exhaustion, he added, "In three hours when I have to get up. Oh, my god, I'm dying."

"Okay, here's an idea, why don't you go sleep in my bed and I'll stay in here with the babies," his friend suggested. "The both of you get some sleep and I can sleep when the babies do during the day."

"It's simply fantastic having two wives," Grimmjow joked with him, slapping him on the back.

"Go to bed or I'll kill you," the blushing orange haired man threatened him.

"Yes, dear," he returned, receiving a bottle to the back of the head before he closed the door behind him. "Ow!"

Ichigo smiled but avoided laughing since the babies were drifting off to sleep. Could he dare to hope they would sleep for the next few hours? They were clean and fed so if they stayed content maybe he could get in a straight four hours of sleep. Scanning the room, he spied the padded window seat and decided that and a few baby blankets would make a suitable bed - for tonight anyway. Tomorrow night, with any luck, they could all get some sleep and Grimmjow would be back in his own bed.

~...~

Nami woke up with a start. The sun was shining into her bedroom with a blinding intensity. What time was it? Grabbing the clock, she pulled it to her face until the numbers came into focus. 8:30! The babies! It had been six and a half hours since they had received their bottles. She contemplated if the whole bottle feeding thing to supplement the breastfeeding was one of the reasons they were not sleeping well. Throwing back the covers and hitting the floor in a dead run, she rushed into the nursery next door. She skidded to a halt across the carpet when she saw Ichigo sitting in one of the rocking chairs with both babies laying on his chest and snuggled under his chin. All three of them were sound asleep. The empty bottles had fallen to the floor and were long forgotten in their peaceful slumber.

Nami dropped to her knees by the chair, stroking the unusual ears of Hisoka: they seemed to be growing more pointed and were covered with soft white hair. She leaned forward and kissed the baby's silky round cheek before doing the same to his brother. Her eyes lingered on them as their little hands moved across Ichigo's chest as if they were searching for something. Yusei's fingers brushed his brother's and he instantly reached to cover his brother's hand. The bond between the two of them was simply amazing. Sitting back on her feet, she watched the children sleeping before her eyes moved to the face of the man holding them. Leaning forward again, she ran her fingers through his hair. A smile tilted her lips when he groaned and shifted in the chair while keeping a protective grip on the boys. Her heart fluttered then thumped hard in her chest when he opened his eyes and slowly focused on her.

"Good morning," he groggily murmured giving her a sleepy smile.

"Good morning, Daddy," she returned with a low chuckle. Standing to her feet, she dared to peel Yusei from his chest who jumped and began shaking, his little hands flying out in an infant reflex from being moved and experiencing the sensation of falling.

Ichigo hurried to move with his brother when he began to make a soft mewling sound as if calling out for him to which Hisoka responded by grunting and rooting around as if searching for him. He carefully laid the baby down beside his brother, close enough they were touching. He and Nami watched as they settled down and continued sleeping.

"It's strange isn't it?" she asked, walking out of the room to the carpeted staircase.

"What?" he questioned her, rubbing his burning, sleep-deprived eyes as he followed her down the stairs to the kitchen.

"How the boys are with each other."

"Well, you said it yourself that they lived together for nine months already. And they are twins," he yawned, stopping to stretch his sore arms and legs as they walked into the kitchen that reminded him of 50's diner the way it had been decorated. Sometimes he pondered what crackpot decorated this house by some of the odd little peculiarities it had.

Nami was busy preparing the much needed coffee while yawning herself to some semblance of conciousness. Not waiting for the brew cycle to finish, she was thankful for modern technology that stopped the flow long enough for her to pour them two cups.

"Is it okay for you to drink caffeine since you're still breastfeeding?" he asked, staring at her cup of coffee.

"Yes. Besides, caffeine won't harm them. Premature babies are treated with caffeine to stimulate their nervous systems. Besides, it's not like we can get any less sleep than we already are," she remarked, taking the first sip and murmuring her approval of the scalding hot liquid.

"That's really good," he groaned after a big swallow of the coffee. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes. He could never remember being this exhausted before in his life.

Nami observed him closely, gingerly sipping at her coffee in silence. She finished off her cup and moved to pour herself another. On her way back to the table, she could hear him snoring softly. Putting her cup down, she leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Go to bed. I'll take care of the twins," she told him, patting his cheek. Receiving a drowsy smile in response, she moved back so he could stand up. Her breath caught in her throat and she could not move when his lips pressed to hers for a quick kiss.

"Good night, sweetie," he mumbled, stumbling out of the kitchen.

"Y-yeah, g-good n-night," she stuttered, touching her lips. Her brain seemed to catch up with the feelings rushing through her body and was not sure what to make of it. "I mean good morning. I...I don't know what the hell I mean. Good god what have I gotten myself into."

* * *

Thanks, as always, to my beta xfang-girlx for looking out for me and helping me with corrections.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks to my beta for giving me the idea of the lover's quarrel. Lemony goodness ahead - make up sex is always best!

* * *

"Honey, I need to talk to you," Nami spoke into the darkness of their room just before Grimmjow dropped off to sleep. She could no longer withstand the guilt and awkwardness that had plagued her for days. It was impossible to pretend nothing had happened between her and Ichigo although he seem completely unfazed by the matter. Was he even aware of what he had done?

Hearing Grimmjow growl deep within his throat, she swallowed hard to gather what little courage she had left to make her confession. "Ichigo kissed me a few days ago, I'm having feelings I shouldn't, and we really need to find him a girlfriend," she gushed rapidly hoping he was sleepy enough not to comprehend her words fully.

"Wh-what?" he stammered drowsily. Sitting up in the bed, he turned on the lamp on his bedside table so she could see the penetrating glare of his luminescent and cold blue eyes. "He kissed you?"

"Just a peck on the lips," she rushed on hurriedly. "It was nothing really. Maybe I'm making a big deal of nothing. He was really tired and - "

"Tired!" Grimmjow yelled, throwing back the covers to get out of the bed. "I'm tired too but I haven't kissed anyone else's wife lately!"

"Honey, please be quiet," she begged, getting out of the bed in her tiny virtually see through cotton nightgown. She moved toward him watching a pained expression cross his face.

"Oh, sweetheart damn," he grumbled, staring at her approvingly. A certain part of his anatomy showed it's approval of her body by growing hard and throbbing with each heartbeat as the blood was redirected from his brain. How long had it been since they had sex last? He honestly couldn't remember. Had it been at least six weeks since the twins were born? Isshin had said to wait six weeks before any sexual activity and ...he could no longer remember what the doctor had said as he watched her nipples harden and poke against the thin white fabric. "Get back into bed! I can't be angry with you when you look so damn sexy," he groaned, reaching for her. "Find him a girlfriend indeed. He needs to find his own fucking house. Speaking of fucking, have you...with him while I've been gone?"

"NO!" she yelled, moving back and crossing her arms over her breasts to hide them. "I'm trying to be perfectly honest with you here. I don't want to hide anything from you."

The only thing Nami wanted to hide at this moment were her breasts that he was eyeing intently while licking his lips. She turned her back to him so she would not have to look into his half lidded eyes that were shiny with desire. Now she wanted to be mad at him and staring at his extremely well defined pecs and abs while thinking how good his strong arms would feel around her was preventing her from doing so. The thought of her bare nipples grazing his hard chest while he thrust into her was almost more than she could withstand. Turning back around, she shrieked to find he was right there at her before she was pushed against the wall and trapped between it and that hard chest she was thinking about. A moan of his name slipped past her lips when he lifted her up and her nipples scraped across the taut muscle. It felt even better than she thought it would.

"Grimmjow, I'm trying to be serious here," she protested, avoiding his lips that were seeking hers. Her body pressed and rubbed against his as she struggled slightly which only managed to arouse them both more.

"Me too, Nami, now shut the hell up and let me kiss you. I've never been more serious about screwing your brains out in my life," he panted, putting one arm around her waist and seizing her wrists with the other to hold them together tightly between their bodies.

"Oh, god," she mumbled when his mouth claimed hers.

Nami could not recall him being so dirty mouthed and forceful before. This seemed to be a new part of him because he had always been to tender with her and then the babies. However, his actions were matching his looks which she found exceedingly enticing and it turned her on. Twisting her wrists to release his hold on her, she pulled free and wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders while raising her legs to enclose his waist.

"Oh, shit," he moaned against her mouth when he realized she was not wearing any underwear. The extreme dampness of her aroused body soaked right through his underwear which made his member pulsate so intensely it hurt. Holding her against him with both arms although she was clinging to him tightly, he took her to the bed. Once there, she loosened her grip and fell back on the bed. He watched with satisfaction as she sat up to rip off the nightgown before grabbing the waistband of his underwear and sliding them down his legs.

Nami felt something soft and silky graze her cheek and quickly turned her head to enclose his head with her lips. Her whole body tightened and grew warmer from the noise he released that was somewhere between a growl and a groan. Her lips and hand moved up and down his full length slowly, ignoring the insistent pressure of his hand on the back of her neck. When his breathing escalated and his moaning became rhythmic, she removed her mouth entirely to pull him down onto the bed with her.

Grimmjow refused to allow her to push him over onto his back. Grabbing her leg behind the knee and pulling it up while pushing her across the bed, he slid into her with a slow push, holding her down by the hip with his other hand. He was not going to permit her to hurry him either. Once buried inside of her, he continued to hold her down while indulging in a lengthy and leisurely kiss. Sliding his tongue between her slightly parted lips, he tasted every corner of her mouth while she squirmed and grunted beneath him. He would like nothing more than to plow her through the mattress with all of his might and strength but teasing her was quite fun and gratifying in its own way.

"Grimmy, please," she whimpered, pulling her lips from his. She moaned into his mouth when he turned her head back so he could kiss her again. Since his hand had been removed from her knee, she hooked her leg around him and raised up to gyrate against him since he could not keep her still on that side.

"Nami," he groaned after ripping his lips from hers. He pressed his hands down on the bed, raising himself above her.

They both moaned with pleasure as his pelvis dug into hers from the pressure of his position. Seeing her eyes roll back as she cried out his name did him in, and he thrust into her like he had every intention of making her walk strangely for a week. If she does, so be it. She was his wife dammit and it would do certain people some good to remember that including her.

Nami sank her fingers into his muscular shoulders then her fingernails as he hammered her harder. She held onto him as he made her body tremble with pleasure while pushing her closer and closer to what she was sure would be a screaming orgasm.

"You better kiss me or the next door neighbors are going to hear this one," she warned him in gasps when she was near the apex before going over.

Grimmjow clamped his mouth down over hers as if giving her erotic mouth to mouth while she convulsed under him. Her scream was stifled by his own yell of pleasure as he met her with his own intense climax that made him shudder and shake like he had lost all control. He could not stop thrusting into her and each stroke brought with it another hailstorm of pleasure that washed over both of them and made their skin prickle with chill bumps despite being far from cold. Breathing in shallow, ragged breaths, he rolled onto his back beside her so he could collapse and not crush her beneath his bulk.

Nami rolled onto her side, pressing her body to his as they both worked to regain their breath. She lay her hand over his heart, closing her eyes as she counted the erratic beats beneath her palm. Her lips formed a smile as the rhythm became more regular and their breathing slowed while becoming perfectly synchronized. She sighed contentedly as he enclosed her with his strong arms and held her body to his.

"What were we talking about?" he asked in a low voice, tracing a circular pattern on her cheek as he turned to look into her eyes.

"Does it matter?" she queried, kissing his chin then his lips.

"You tell me, my love. Do I have anything to worry about?" His eyes drilled into hers demanding an answer and the truth.

"No. I love you," she said, meaning it with all of her heart.

~...~

On the other side of the door, Ichigo was unsure why he had listened to the whole encounter. He knew it would end badly for him and his whole body ached now from the need he could not satisfy. Why had he come here? Why doesn't he just leave? A whimper from the crib across the room reminded him of the answer to those questions. As soon as he could stand up he would go to his bathroom to find some relief from his painful predicament while fantasizing about the woman he could never have.

~\..'../~

* * *

Nami was lying on the floor of the nursery with the four month old twins facing her. She was amusing herself by pushing up onto her elbows which the boys would do as well. Then she would lower her body back down to the floor and so would they. She could not help but giggle when they followed her movements exactly giving her triumphant smiles as if to announce, "I did it, Mom! Just like you! Aren't you proud?" She was indeed proud of her children. The little boys were doing remarkably well and developing just as they should despite their less than easy welcome into this world. One of her big boys, however, was beginning to worry her.

Ichigo had become increasingly quiet and was spending more time away from the house. He made trips to the park everyday with the twins which was great for them and for her because it gave her a much needed break. Where he spent the rest of his time, she did not know and did not ask because she was not his mother. She was not even his girlfriend. She was the mother of his child and...she was the mother of his child - that's all. They were all in an extremely vexing situation that they were doing their best to understand.

"Yusei," she murmured, stroking the wild spiky orange hair on the baby's head in a useless attempt to make it lay down. Hisoka grunted quietly to get her attention when she tickled his brother to make him giggle. She did the same thing to him and he looked quite pleased with himself that he had stolen her attention from his brother. "Well, you two are quite like your fathers in many ways, aren't you?"

Not one to admit defeat, Yusei began babbling and cooing to draw his mother's gaze back to him. He then turned his gaze to his brother, reaching for him. Grabbing his white furry ear, he tugged on it until his brother squawked in protest.

"Yusei!" Nami admonished him, pulling his hand away as Hisoka began to cry.

"Mamamama," he began to chant when his mother sat up to pull his brother into her arms.

"Oh, sucking up won't do you any good now, little man," she half heartedly scolded him. Her other child was rooting around on her chest searching for lunch. "Speaking of sucking up..."

"Hi, mama, what's up? Whoa," Grimmjow murmured as she popped out her breast for the hungry child. "I am now."

"Honey, don't be a pervert in front of the kids," she chided him as he picked up the grinning Yusei.

"They don't know what I'm saying, do you?" he asked the cooing infant who grabbed his lips and shrieked happily.

"See! Even he's telling you hush," she chuckled.

"Hahaha," he muttered, nibbling on the babies fingers to make him scream with laughter.

"Dadadadada," the baby sang out.

"Hey! He called me Daddy!" he exclaimed proudly not even addressing the issue that Yusei was Ichigo's biological son.

"This is going to be a hell of a situation to explain to the kids one day," she mumbled, handing him Hisoka.

"Now who needs to watch their mouth?" he balked, giving her the squirming the carrot top who was ready to eat.

"You're quite the kiss up today," she told the baby before kissing him and settling him against her for his feeding. She rolled her eyes as he patted her breast while nearly sucking her nipple off. "I swear, he looks like Ichigo but he's all you beneath that orange hair and brown eyes."

"I know, it's weird," he agreed, looking down at his son who was quietly watching his father wiggle his fingers above his face while his eyes opened and closed slowly while drowsiness settle over him. "Where is the other father?"

"I'm not sure. He should be home soon. I'm worried about him," she said, shifting Yusei when he bit her. "Meany!"

"Hey, boy, you don't bite the breast that feeds you," he joked, tickling the baby's ribs which made him bite her again.

"Grimmy!" she yelled, punching him in the shoulder. "Stop it!"

"Ow!" he grunted, shielding the sleeping Hisoka. "Damn, you're still strong. I thought you were going to squeeze me in half the other night with those legs of yours. I can't say that it was entirely unpleasant though."

"Honestly," she muttered, wondering when he had become such a hopeless pervert. He seemed more sweet and gentle when he was half beast.

"Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being whatever we were. A werecat? I don't know what you would call it."

"No."

Nami was only halfway being truthful. She had no regrets about losing her bestial side. Sometimes she missed Grimmjow's three phases. Back then by the dark of the moon, he became a man. He had never been more human than when he still had the beast within. Now he was all man; a different man. She still loved him and could not break the magnetism that constantly drew her to him, but he was not the same.


	20. Chapter 20

As always, gotta give a shout out to my beta, xfang-girlx, who helps to keep me from publishing terrible errors!

* * *

Nami and Ichigo were sitting in a strained silence at the kitchen table during lunch. The twins played happily in their high chairs, flinging their food at each other rather than eating it. They were nine months old today. They chattered to each other in their own baby language that they understood while the adults ate without exchanging a word.

Ichigo had started spending more time around the house during the day though he did not talk to her much. He was still withdrawn and reticent, hardly speaking to her. Most of his time at home was spent with the boys or in his room. He only came out for meals and was gone at night, almost every night, and some times all night. It was like living with a rebellious teenager.

Nami was sure he had found a girlfriend which was a good thing. She wondered who it could be and what she was like. Standing up to take her plate to the sink, weariness settled over with such heaviness she felt like she needed a nap. Light-headedness made her reel from dizziness, and she leaned forward onto the counter to hold herself up.

"Are you all right?" he asked her from the table, sounding as if he really did not care.

"I'm fine," she responded, rinsing off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. "I'm going to lie down for a while. Can you take care of the boys?"

"Of course. I am the nanny, or as they call them now, manny, around here aren't I?" he questioned her bitterly.

"No, you're not. You're Yusei's father," she said, growing more tired by the moment. She did not feel like arguing with him at this time.

"Why do I feel like the hired help?" he shot back with a nasty tone in voice.

"I don't know Ichigo, why? We've never treated you that way. We didn't even ask you to stay here," she retorted, closing her eyes and wishing she could take back her words.

"You're right. You didn't," he said, getting up to move to her. He combed his fingers through her hair, relishing the sensation of the silky strands against his skin.

"Don't," she murmured, when he stepped closer to her. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to press her forehead against his lips.

"I'm just confused. I don't know what to do. I know I need to move on, to let you go, it's just...difficult," he murmured, grasping handfuls of her hair. He kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her head against his chest to just hold her.

Nami wondered what to do. She loved both men but in different ways. The way she felt about them had changed in the last few months. She was still dearly devoted to Grimmjow and loved him to the deepest part of her being. But then there were her feelings for Ichigo which were more familial but just as strong. She was only hurting him and herself by allowing him to stay here. But what about the children?

"Daddy!" Hisoka screeched raising his arms to him.

"Then there's that. It seems like I'm not the only one confused here," he said, turning to pick up the blue haired child calling for him.

"I don't know. I keep hoping the answers will just come to us. That the solution to all of this will present itself," she mumbled, watching him wipe off the sticky child who was wearing more food than he had eaten.

Yusei began to fuss and whine in an attempt to wriggle out of his high chair so she took another cloth and began to wipe off the remnants of his lunch on his face and hands.

"I met a girl," Ichigo blurted suddenly.

"Oh?" Nami pulled off Yusei's hopelessly soiled shirt and took him out of the high chair.

"I would like for you to meet her," he said, following her up the stairs to the nursery.

"Bring her to dinner then. Tomorrow night. Tell me about her," she suggested, pulling a clean t-shirt out of the drawer to wrestle it onto the orange haired child who preferred to be without it.

Ichigo proceeded to tell her about the woman he had met in a bookstore a few weeks ago. He described her as not very talkative and somewhat aloof. He went on to say that she prefers books to people and spends most of her free time in the bookstore. She was also an avid student of martial arts and was training to be an assistant instructor at her dojo where she trains.

"What does she do for a living?" Nami inquired, putting Yusei into the playpen with his brother.

"She works for the county coroner as a crime scene investigator," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Oh, how very interesting," she murmured, smiling down at Hisoka whose prominent incisor's pressed against his lower lip. Kisuke kept telling her that it was nothing to worry about; it was just an anomaly left over from the feral DNA. She did not believe him when he told her the child's permanent teeth would be perfectly normal. Somehow she did not think he would be 'normal' at all and she was fine with that.

'A date between the two of them must be a real hoot,' Nami thought to herself as he continued to talk about the bookstore girl's obsession with all things supernatural like vampires and werewolves and the like.

Regret pricked at her conscience. Maybe it was not a good idea to have a woman like this over considering their little secret.

~\..'../~

* * *

Nami and Grimmjow both stared at the odd, little woman. Nami was shocked and Grimmjow was plainly amused. The woman was barely five feet tall. Her black hair was cut in a way that made her head look like a black mushroom. She had lovely eyes that were the most unusual shade of violet and seemed to make up for half of her facial structure. She was indeed quiet and did not speak much despite Grimmjow playing twenty questions with her and asking her all kinds of idiotic questions about her favorite subject of supernatural creatures.

"So if a werewolf bit a vampire would it become a werewolf or a half-breed or what?" he inquired.

"Grimmjow, stop it," Nami hissed, trying to hide the fact she was kind of entertained by the line of questioning and how seriously the woman took it.

"It wouldn't be become anything except for dead," Rukia replied stoically.

"But why?" Grimmjow persisted, ignoring the furious glare from Ichigo.

Nami was becoming worried about Ichigo as his face grew more red with each inquiry. She was afraid he was going to snap and either have a heart attack or come across the table at the overly curious blue haired man.

"Because they're a completely different species from each other. They can turn humans because they were human once. They cannot change each other because it would be like interspecies mingling which cannot happen. Like say, a human cannot get pregnant by a dog...or a cat," she said, unintentionally hitting a nerve.

Nami choked on her soda and suddenly wished she had a shot of whiskey to add to it after that last statement. Ichigo looked more embarrassed than angry at the moment and Grimmjow laughed riotously. She had been completely wrong about this girl being a stick in the mud. Rukia could cause quite a stir without even meaning to.

"I'm going to the kitchen to get the cheesecake for dessert," Nami announced to give her an escape from the table. Her throat and chest burned from inhaling the fizzy drink in her startled surprise earlier. Plus she couldn't take another stupid question from her husband directed at the dark queen who had an answer for everything from fairies to unicorns.

"Are you all right?" Ichigo asked her, rubbing his hand across her back.

Nami inadvertently shivered from the touch, goose bumps rising on every inch of her skin over her entire body. As if she had not been sufficiently freaked out by their guest, she was officially offended at this time.

"She didn't mean anything by it. She doesn't know," he told her as if reading her mind.

"She better not," Nami growled at him, going to the refrigerator to move away from him.

"What do you think of her?" He watched her every move as she bent to pull the strawberry covered confection from the refrigerator.

"She's weird," she bluntly responded, elbowing him out of the way to get to the drawer containing the knives.

"Weird? She's weird? I find that ironic coming from a woman who had a talking cat that was really a man," he snapped, arching an orange eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, well I didn't know that then...but we're not talking about me. We're talking about her," she stated impatiently to draw him back to the subject at hand. "I don't like her."

"Well, I do. I want to see where things will go with her," he said, taking the small dessert plates from her to carry them into the dining room.

"Transylvania, perhaps," she suggested, winking at him jokingly when she turned her back to the swinging kitchen door that led to the formal dining room to push it open.

Ichigo could not offer a snarky reply since they had walked into the room where the other two people were arguing about elves. Were they short creatures with pointed ears who lived in trees or were they tall, noble, beautiful beings who were great archers?

This night could not end soon enough for all of them.

~...~

"I kinda liked her. She was a little strange but she was fun to talk to. I'm kinda surprised that Ichigo would go after the type with the body of a twelve year old boy. Especially after...well, you know," Grimmjow said, reaching over to caress her breast as they lay in bed. "Having someone like you."

"There in lies the problem, genius. He doesn't have someone like me. You do," she snorted, turning off her bedside lamp and throwing the magazine onto her nightstand. She had not been able to comprehend a single word she was reading.

"Sucks to be him," he responded coldly, sliding his hand into her nightgown to tease the aroused nipple further with skin to skin contact.

"You're so damn mean," she admonished him, slapping at his hand. She grunted when he pinched her nipple and pressed his body against hers to show how excited he was. "How did you get this way?"

"What way?" he queried distractedly, pushing her nightgown up around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her belly, smiling when she writhed beneath him.

"Would you stop that and talk to me?" She pulled his hair as his tongue licked around her belly button before he began to place kisses along the border of the top of her lacy panties.

"No. You can keep talking if you want." He pulled down her underwear and placed a kiss to her inner thigh that made her quiver.

"I can't think when you do that," she protested, shifting uncomfortably beneath the kisses that covered her inner thigh.

"Yes, I know." He snaked his tongue between her lower lips and knew he had her when she moaned his name. He did not want to talk about Ichigo or his strange girlfriend. He only wanted her.

~\..'../~

* * *

"Can I bring someone to dinner?" Ichigo asked at breakfast two weeks later.

"Rukia?" Nami queried, putting down her coffee cup.

"No. Rangiku," he answered. The new female name gained the interest of the otherwise disinterested Grimmjow. He felt like he was talking with his parents instead of friends.

"What happened to Rukia?" she asked.

"Uh, things just weren't working out," he stated vaguely.

"Kind of disturbing when you got the clothes off?" Grimmjow inquired, allowing the instant blush on Ichigo's face to be his affirmation. "Where did you meet this one?"

"The club just off base. She's an older woman and has the biggest - " He stopped in mid sentence, holding his hands out in front of his chest as if cupping a set of huge breasts.

"Oh, my god," she grumbled, picking up her coffee cup to leave.

She no longer wanted to be a part of this conversation. Leaving them alone, she decided this was better left a male bonding moment so she took her leave and moved to the living room with the babies. Picking up Hisoka, she settled him on her hip and nuzzled his nose with hers.

"At least you're still sweet and not a pervert," she murmured, kissing his cheek.

"Mama," he responded, patting her on the breast.

"I stand corrected," she chuckled, tickling his ribs to make him giggle.

"MA-MA!" Yusei bellowed to get her attention.

"Oh, for Pete's sake! So jealous," she muttered, lifting him out of the play pen as well. She heard a loud burst of male laughter from the kitchen and could only imagine what they were discussing.

~\..'../~

* * *

It was shameful. Nami could not be more disgusted by the aging beauty queen who was desperately trying to hang onto her youth. The woman was gorgeous for her age there was no doubt about it with her long honey colored locks and sparkling light blue eyes. However her disturbingly low-cut dress with the too short skirt just made her look sad and pathetic.

Nami was unsure if her constant giggling and excessive bubbleheadedness was a nervous reaction or if the woman was really that stupid. Either way it was really annoying and off-putting - to her at least. Ichigo seemed proud to be her new boy toy and Grimmjow was thoroughly impressed - with her breasts at least anyway. He was too busy staring and drooling to ask her any questions.

Half way through dinner, Nami developed a pounding headache that forced her to excuse herself and call it an evening early. She was not sure how much more of the bimbo parade she could withstand.


	21. Chapter 21

Nami lay in bed staring at the ceiling while Grimmjow snored peacefully in blissful sleep beside her. She winced as another muffled squeal erupted from Ichigo's room. Gritting her teeth, she rolled onto her side. This was too much. He was just pushing it too far. Her patience had already been tested to the limit and having this shrieking, giggling girl spend the night was more than she could stand. She had endured the vacant stares in response to simple questions and even shrugged off the fact that her husband stared openly and longingly at the woman's huge breasts. But having to listen to this was more than she could handle. Throwing back the covers and accidentally hitting her husband in the process, she ignored his startled grunt while getting out of the bed.

"Where are you going, honey?" he inquired sleepily with a yawn.

"Downstairs for a drink," she muttered, snatching on her robe.

"But you're still breastfeeding," he mumbled, settling into a comfortable position.

"Water, you idiot," she growled, opening the door and stepping out of the room. She shrieked when she ran right into someone. The super big breasts of Ichigo's houseguest collided with hers. Due to size and momentum from Orihime's monumental chest, she was overpowered and knocked off balance to fall right on her behind.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman giggled reaching down to help her. The towel she held at her breasts separated and nearly fell.

"I'm fine," Nami protested, pushing her hand away. "Please, just stand back up and go to his room." She scowled darkly at Ichigo who stood behind the woman with burnt orange hair and vacuous brown eyes wearing only a towel around his waist. Why in the hell were they out running in the hallway like this was a damn frat house? There was a bathroom attached to his room for Pete's sake and there was no reason for them to be out here half-naked in towels. So what were they doing? "Where are you two coming from?"

"Uh...um...we were - " Ichigo began turning an ever increasing shade of embarrassed from pink to red.

"We were in the hot tub!" Orihime helpfully provided.

Nami groaned and allowed her face to twist in disgust. Well, the hot tub would have to be drained and refilled now. Raising her nose in the air, she passed by them then stepped back to stand beside Ichigo. Without looking at him, she said, "We need to talk."

Ichigo hung his head in shame and apprehension as if he had just been caught by his mother. She had just spoken the four most deadly words to come out of a woman's mouth. He could only imagine what awaited him.

"Now?" he inquired with dread hoping she meant later. He watched her features continue to tense up while he waited for an answer.

"Now," she confirmed, staring ahead to avoid looking at him. "I'll be in the kitchen waiting."

"Damn," he muttered, going to his room as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Should I leave?" Orihime asked.

"Yes. I think so," he told her, wanting her gone before whatever was about to happen happened.

Nami was sitting at the table tracing the top of her glass with her finger when he walked into the kitchen. Keeping her eyes averted, she avoided making eye contact with him. She was worried about him. What he was doing could not be healthy for him emotionally - or physically for that matter. Going as far as having overnight guests in addition to the constant stream of women flowing around her children and husband was not setting well with her. This had to stop.

"Don't bring anymore women home," she stated with finality leaving no room for argument.

"This is my home too," he dared to argue anyway.

Nami raised her brown eyes to his, a fire of anger igniting within them that burned into his face. She pressed her lips together to keep from saying something they would both regret. Taking a sip of her ice water, she concentrated on calming herself down.

"I'm worried about you. I don't think this is good for anyone. Don't bring anyone else over until you know it's pretty serious or at least relatively long-term. I've had enough Ichigo, and I don't want it to go on any longer," she said, her eyes never wavering from his.

Ichigo swallowed, taking a moment to choose his next words very carefully. "There's only been a few - "

"A few? A few dozen maybe," she hissed, fighting for control. She did not want to start yelling and wake the babies.

"There hasn't been that many," he snapped indignantly, color rising to his cheeks.

"Shall I name them? Rukia, Rangiku, Isane, Tatsuki, Nel...I actually kind of liked her...Yoruichi - "

"Okay. I get the idea. That's enough."

Nami bit her lower lip as she watched him cover his face with his hands and lean forward to prop his elbows on the table. She could not help but notice he looked so tired and unhappy.

"What are you running from?" she asked, placing her hand on his arm.

"You," he mumbled behind his hands.

Nami withdrew her hand in surprise. She had not expected that answer. Momentarily stunned, she blinked when he continued to talk.

"I don't know if I can stay here anymore. I can't stay here and watch another man live the life I want with the woman I want," he explained, lifting his head to look at her.

"Ichigo," she whispered, unable to speak any louder since emotions were constricting her throat. She had no idea how strong his feelings still were for her after all this time. Picking up her water, she quickly set it back down when her hand started trembling so hard the water sloshed in the glass.

"I'm sorry. I'll begin making other arrangements for a place to live. Besides, I need to get back to having a life of my own. I can't get on with my life if I stay here with you," he said, rising to his feet.

Nami stared at her hands that were lying flat against the top of the table. The forefinger of her right hand moved to trace the simple gold band on her left ring finger. _Let him go. Just let him go. It's what's best for all of us._

"What about Yusei? And Hisoka? That baby loves you. He doesn't understand and he doesn't care that you're not his biological father. How will he..." Her voice faltered and the tears streamed down her face. She watched as they splashed onto the smooth red surface of the table after dripping from her chin. _How will I live without you?_

"He will be fine, sweetheart. I'll still see him and Yusei. You will be just fine too," he murmured, taking her by the hand.

Nami watched as his thumb traced the gold band on her finger like she had moment before. She raised her chin to look up at him. Her tears blurred him in her vision, and she could not tell what he was feeling because she could not see him clearly. Closing her eyes, she felt the tears fall down her cheeks. With his gentle hand on the back of her neck, she allowed him to pull her head forward until her forehead was pressed against his hard abdominal muscles.

"You'll be better off without me. Your husband loves you and will take care of you. I can only stand in the way of that," he said, stepping back so she could stand to her feet in front of him.

"You're right. I'm going to bed," she sniffed, sliding past him to get around him and make her way out of the kitchen.

"Nami?" Ichigo called before she could fully exit the room.

"What?" she asked without turning back.

"I, um, I..." He hesitated until she turned back around to look at him. The tears were still running down her face so he could not bear to tell her anything that would cause her more emotional distress. He would not tell her he loved her because it would only hurt them both. "I hope you sleep well."

Nami forced a smile to her lips before nodding her head slightly in acknowledgement. There was no way she would be sleeping well, if at all, tonight. She took one heavy step after the other, forcing her legs to rise to climb the stairs. Climbing back into bed with her husband, she noticed he was no longer snoring just before his arm encircled her waist and pulled her back to his bare, muscled chest that was hard against her back.

Grimmjow raised his hand to stroke her hair. He had heard the whole conversation because he had listened at the bottom of the stairs. Their voices had resounded nicely off the black and white tiles in the kitchen and carried easily to his ears in the foyer less than twelve feet away. In all honesty, he hated to see Ichigo leave because they had become great friends. He was also immensely enjoying the eye candy that visited his house on a regular basis. His wife did not seem to mind as she moaned and cried through each orgasm he gave her, but he had been wrong about that. What else had he been wrong about? She seemed to look at him differently now. There was something missing, something lost since he was no longer half...whatever he was. Feeling her quiver against his body, he tightened his arm around her and buried his nose in her hair. As much as he liked Ichigo as a friend, he loved her too much as his wife. He would not lose her after all he had been through to make her his.

~...~

"Grimmy!" Nami cried out from the nursery.

The screams of Hisoka rang in his ears as Grimmjow threw back the covers and launched himself out of the bed. What could possibly be wrong? Had something happened to the children? Her scream had ignited a fear and panic within him he had not felt in years, mostly because he had heard it in her voice. He glanced around the nursery trying to get his thoughts in order and assess the situation.

Yusei was playing happily on the floor with his toys. The child looked up at him and smiled before raising his little arms to be held. After picking up the child, Grimmjow swung his head to see Nami standing in the open doorway to Ichigo's room with a caterwauling blue haired baby in her arms. Walking over to her, he peeked over her head to see that the room was empty of everything but the furniture.

"He's gone," she whispered. "I can't believe he left like that."

Grimmjow pressed his lips together to keep from saying something inappropriate. He could not believe Ichigo had left that way either. He never would have pegged the man for a coward who would sneak out in the middle of the night without saying good-bye or even giving them a hint that he was leaving. Putting his arm around his shaking wife, he pulled her to him to hold her as she cried. Goose bumps raised across his skin as her warm tears fell onto his bare chest and cooled as they rolled down his pectoral which flexed spastically from the odd sensation. He was furious. If he ever saw Ichigo again -

"He didn't even stay for their birthday. The boys will be a year old next week. We have their party planned and everything. He won't even be there. What will people think?" she sobbed, not really giving a damn what people thought because their situation had been unusual to say the least to begin with.

"Honey, don't. Just hush, please," he pled with her as she continued to babble nonsense. It was only making him more angry to see her this way. He kissed the top of the head of the fretting Hisoka between them. A smile curled his lips as he watched the orange haired baby held on his hip pat his upset brother on the back lovingly.

"So-ka, So-ka," he murmured to his brother before devolving into their own private language that sounded like babbling to the grown ups.

Nami noticed the interaction between the babies and how Yusei was comforting his brother. It was calming her down as well to watch the boys as they communicated with each other in their special way. She looked up to gaze into the beautiful blue eyes of her husband who was looking down at her and brushing his fingers through her hair to soothe her.

"It will be all right. I promise," he told her before leaning down to kiss her briefly. "I'm sure he had a good reason for leaving this way."

"Yeah, sure," Nami mumbled in return. She was less than convinced to say the least. Her eyes closed as her husband pulled her close and she took comfort in his embrace. It had been a while since he had been so easy and gentle with her. She would have to talk to Kisuke about her husband's rough tendencies. But first, she had to get over the shock of Ichigo being gone.

~\..'../~

* * *

Kisuke thought for a minute after Nami posed the question to him. Why was Grimmjow's libido and aggression out of control? His gray eyes studied the woman in front of him as she balanced a child on each hip. He could not help but smile at himself for thinking that she looked like a milkmaid because the double entendre was not lost on him as his eyes skimmed over her chest that had nearly doubled in size since the boys came along. Shaking his head, he forced his mind back to pondering the matter at hand. She had come to him with a valid concern so he needed to take it seriously.

"It's possible that there was a steep rise in testosterone with another male in the household. You know, his body's way of asserting his dominance as the Alpha male in the family. Maybe that will decrease now that Ichigo is gone," he explained, immediately regretting his words when her face caved in with sadness. Before she began to cry, he rushed on to say," Perhaps it's due to an over stimulation of the hypothalamus which would have been caused by the...uh, um, treatments he was given to get rid of his _condition._"

"I'm beginning to the think that was a bad decision, Kisuke," she rejoined, sitting down in the chair next to his desk. She suddenly felt so tired. Ichigo had been gone over a month now but it still hurt like it had happened yesterday. Grimmjow was still being...well, himself. The _new _and not necessarily improved him anyway.

"For who? You or him?" he inquired, rolling toward her in his chair.

Kisuke reached for one of the boys, taking the placid and quiet Hisoka into his arms. It astounded him how the child could be so different personality wise from his biological father. He tickled the baby's ribs to make him laugh so he could get a good look at his prominent incisors. Continuing his examination of the child, he studied the boy's blue eyes which were a brilliant icy blue like the eyes of an Alaskan husky. The pupils were beginning to elongate, and he wondered if the mother noticed. Stealing a glimpse of her face as she nuzzled into the wild orange spikes of Yusei, he was sure she had noticed.

There was not much she did not notice, especially about her husband. Apparently, Grimmjow had not told her that he had been coming for weekly visits to Kisuke's office for the last six months. Certain _symptoms_ had began popping up and the past threatened to invade the present. As Kisuke looked at her now, he considered that she would welcome a return of those symptoms of her husband's condition from the past. Swallowing hard, he knew exactly what had caused her husband's steep rise in libido and aggressive behavior, and he was hiding the reason from her. He had been giving Grimmjow hormone and DNA injections again to suppress the return of the half feline creature.

"Answer the question, Nami," he prompted her as she continued to stare at nothing while deep in thought.

Nami turned her dark brown eyes on him, staring at him for a long moment. She allowed her intent gaze to penetrate him until he shifted nervously under her silent perusal.

"Me," she answered bluntly and truthfully.

"I thought so," he mumbled, running his finger over the furry pointed ear of the child in his lap. This was simply incredible. He held a scientific impossibility in his hands. He still could not get over this. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what he was about to do. Despite her husband's wishes to keep it a secret, he was about to tell her the truth. She deserved to know. She _needed to know. _"Nami, there's something I need to tell you."


	22. Chapter 22

Grimmjow had noticed she was acting strangely since he arrived home. It was not like her to pull away when he tried to touch her. Every word she spoke to him was singular and clipped as if she were trying to avoid talking to him. He watched her every move carefully as she worked through the usual nightly routine of dinner, bathing the boys, and putting them to bed. He even stood in the doorway of the bathroom and studied her as she took a shower, although he quite enjoyed that part of his evening.

"What is it?" he asked, when she tried to edge past him at the bathroom door.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes raised to his, boring into them accusingly.

Grimmjow immediately knew that she knew his secret. Damn Kisuke. He had made the man swear not to tell her. Looking down at his wife with the hard expression in her eyes and the determined lift of her chin, he remembered sometimes how difficult it could be **not** to give into her when she wanted something. She had wanted the truth from Kisuke, and apparently he had given it to her. Sighing with resignation, he allowed a feeling of relief to wash over him. He would no longer have to feel guilty for hiding the truth from her. This did not change the fact he planned on kicking Kisuke's ass - just a little bit at least.

"I didn't want you to know it was coming back," he mumbled, turning to the side to allow her to pass in her towel.

His eyes moved over the drops of water clinging to her shoulders that glistened like diamonds in the dim bluish light streaming in from the half-moon. His body tightened and a tingling sensation erupted over his skin. He had missed his injection last week because of a special training exercise with the recruits. He had skipped the one today because she was at the clinic talking to Kisuke. He shifted uncomfortably, unbuttoning his shirt as he observed her dropping the towel to begin drying off her arms and legs.

"What would you say if I told you I prefer you that way?" she asked, halting her movements momentarily when she heard the zipper of his pants slide down. She continued drying her body but started using slower, more seductive movements.

"Do you?" He followed the path of her hand up her leg, grunting when it disappeared between her thighs to cover his favorite place.

"Yes," she answered curtly, biting her lower lip when she felt the nearness of his body to hers. He had not touched her yet but she wanted him to. Pretending she did not notice him, she lay the towel on the end of the bed and picked up the bottle of lotion she had brought out with her.

Grimmjow slid his finger along her spine as she leaned over to slather lotion on the leg she had propped on the bed. He wondered how long she would stubbornly continue her bedtime routine while pretending to ignore him. His long fingers curled around her waist as he held onto her and brushed his body against hers to show her that he had definitely taken notice of her.

Nami chewed on her lip to hold in the groan as his hardness slid between her thighs. She could see her hands shaking as she switched legs and continued covering herself with the lavender-scented moisturizer which was having anything but a calming effect on either of them.

"I love you, Nami," he murmured, pulling her extremely long brown hair out of the way to reveal her neck as she stood up.

"I love you too, Grimmy," she sighed as his lips pressed to the back of her neck before trailing kisses to the side of it. Standing as still as possible despite her trembling body, she moaned when his tongue licked over the sensitive flesh causing a tingling sensation to rush through her body as goose bumps rose on her skin. "Darling, I'm not really - "

"Please," he breathed in her ear, allowing his lips to graze her earlobe. Pushing her down onto the bed on her back, he edged open her legs with his knee before hovering over her while kneeling between her legs. "I need you."

Nami closed her eyes to accept his kiss. She needed him too. Her lips parted and she gratefully invited his tongue to search her mouth. Gasping, she jerked her head to the side to pull her lips from his when a stinging sensation tore across half of her lower lip.

"Ow!" she hissed, raising her hand to her touch it. There was something wet on her fingers and a metallic taste flooded her mouth. Blood? Raising her eyes to his face, she could see his overly prominent incisors laying against his lower lip like when he was in his half form from what seemed a lifetime ago.

"It's back," he whispered, gazing into her surprise widened eyes in the muted dreamy illumination from the bedside lamp. He tenderly kissed her lips but stopped when she did not respond. "Nami?"

Nami stared at his face, tracing the contours that suddenly seemed sharper and more feline than usual. She could see a slight luminescence as the light reflected off the back of his retina. Her fingers moved over his face, and she could feel the soft silky down that covered his skin. She stroked her hand through his long hair following it down his back.

Grimmjow grunted when he was attacked with a hungry, searching kiss from his wife. His fingers twisted into her hair, holding her head as she ravaged his mouth. It did not seem to bother her and definitely did not him when she cut her lip again on his ultra sharp teeth. The taste of her blood flooded over his tongue as she stroked hers across it. This brought back memories of making love to her in his half animal state which he was entering again. Why had it been so important for him to become human? He could not remember as she pushed him over onto his back and slid her ready and wanting body down onto him. Holding her by the hips, he tried to slow her down as she moved up and down on him with breath-taking fervor.

"Slow down, please," he begged, fighting for control. He had not experienced her in this frenzied state in a quite a while and she was going to cause him to end things quickly if she did not stop. Forcing her onto her side as he rolled onto his, he held her close to him as she continued to move her hips but at a much slower and less feverish pace.

Nami glided her hands over his usually smooth, hair free chest feeling the soft fur beneath her fingertips. She sighed as she moved against him, the fuzz tickling her belly. Her eyes met his and clung to them as her body slid against his from her purposeful movements to bring pleasure to the both of them. She called his name as he held her by the hips and pushed into her.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? I didn't know you preferred me this way," he stated slightly dazed with the revelation. He held her close and pressing his lips to her neck.

"It seemed like it was so important for you to be human. I didn't want to take that from you. Grimmy," she breathed into his ear, encircling his shoulders tightly with her arms.

Grimmjow found it impossible to talk as the pleasure he received from her body caused his to tighten in anticipation of the coming climax. He held her face in his hands, taking great care to kiss her without cutting her again. His hand covered her behind feeling her muscles contract and relax in his palm as she thrust her body onto his. Every little gasp or moan she emitted only excited him more causing his arousal to climb and draw him closer to his blissful end.

"Nami," he gasped, clutching her ass and pulling her tightly against him to bury himself deep within her as he released into her and shuddered with an orgasm.

Nami writhed against him, crying out his name when she was thrown into orgasmic convulsions of pleasure. She sank her teeth into his shoulder, moaning plaintively as he dug his fingernails into her back. The animal in him definitely brought out the animal in her. She grabbed his head and her lips collided with his for a forceful kiss.

Grimmjow had missed her this way too; so dominating and assertive with just a touch of violence to make it exciting. His member twitched and was growing within her while she gently clawed his chest as if begging for more. Rolling her onto her back and positioning himself between her legs, he was more than willing to give her what she wanted. This time he took her hard and fast just like she wanted while she cried his name and scratched his back like a horny cat. He didn't care. It only served to push him further and more desperately to make her scream his name. She had not done that in a very long time.

Nami held onto him with a lecherous grin of satisfaction on her face as he nailed her to the bed. Her fingers buried themselves in his long, soft hair that curled onto his back and pulled. The sound he made in response was like that of a snarling angry cat that began somewhere deep in his chest and stopped in his throat to reverberate through his body and hers. She brought his mouth to hers to kiss him as well as to stifle the little yelps of pleasure escaping her with each vigorous shove of him into her body.

"Scream for me," he whispered in her ear, nipping her neck to receive a short, sharp cry. "You can do better than that. Scream."

"What about..." Her words trailed off as low howl of sexual delectation made its way out of her mouth instead.

"They'll be fine. It's not like they know what's going on. I bet they sleep right through it. Now let me hear it," he commanded her, licking her neck to arouse her further as if she needed any extra urging.

"Oh, Grimmy," she whispered before opening her mouth and giving him what he wanted to hear as the sexual satisfaction reached its peak of perfection and made her lose control of her body and her senses.

Grimmjow held her as she jerked helplessly beneath him in a fit of pleasure. He allowed her movements to push him to his ultimate goal of a climax that left him sweating and panting on top of her. He was too tired to worry about crushing her, but he was sure if he was too heavy the adrenaline surging through her body would allow her to push him off. Instead, he was treated to many little kisses being applied to his face and neck, then eventually her lips made their way down to his chest.

"Honey, you're going to have to stop that or there's going to be a round three," he warned her as her hands slid over his chest and around his waist.

"How would that be a bad thing?" she asked sincerely, offering him her mouth that was already red and swollen from their passionate kissing.

"I guess it wouldn't be. Are you ready?"

"Oh, yes."

~...~

Grimmjow was glad the next day was Saturday. He would need the whole weekend to recover from their Friday night. It brought him a high degree of twisted delight to see that she walked a bit differently after their marathon sex session. There was a more languid action to her steps and wider swing to her hips. She seemed completely satisfied and content as she moved about in no particular hurry. A permanent smile had found its way to her face. Every time he looked at her, she was wearing that polite and happy little grin like she was holding a very special secret. He had not seen her like this in long time, and he liked what he saw.

"Are you happy again?" he asked, sidling up behind her while she was washing dishes after lunch.

Nami looked over at the boys who were contentedly playing in the play pen she had set up in the kitchen while she cleaned. She turned her gaze back to the sink, her smile widening as his arms slid around her waist.

"Yes. Very," she answered, rinsing off the last dish and her hands.

Grimmjow turned her to face him, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger to tilt it upward. He gazed into her brown eyes that reminded him of the sweetest, richest chocolate on earth. A warm feeling flooded his body as he looked at her. He loved her so much and the feeling seemed stronger than ever in this moment.

"Daddy!" Hisoka cried out, raising his arms to Grimmjow.

Both adults fastened their gaze on the blue haired child. That was the first time ever he had called Grimmjow Daddy and wanted to be held by him. Maybe it had been a blessing in disguise that Ichigo had left. It was just a shame that he could not have done it under different terms.


	23. Chapter 23

Nami watched Isshin as he played with the boys during his monthly visit. She had told him he could come as often as he liked but his small medical clinic kept him too busy to visit more. She appreciated the fact that he treated both boys like his grandchildren and loved them both. The man had never once shunned Hisoka and had formed a deep bond with the child just like his son had. Maybe that was why the child never cried for Ichigo. Hisoka had Isshin and he had finally bonded with Grimmjow just like Yusei had.

Isshin had been in attendance for the boys' first birthday party, but unfortunately his son had missed the momentous occasion. It had now been six months since Ichigo's disappearance. The first few months, Nami always asked him if he had heard anything from his wayward son. After receiving negative responses month after month, she no longer asked about him anymore.

When the children were content playing with each other, Isshin took the opportunity to talk with Nami. He pulled himself up onto the couch to sit beside her from where he had been on the floor with the boys. Reaching to his back pocket, he pulled out the letter he had brought with him. Taking her hand in his, he placed the nondescript white envelope in her palm that bore only his address with no return address.

"I finally heard from him, sweetie," he stated in a low voice while still holding her hand. He could feel her shaking as her eyes went wide with shock. "I don't know where he is, but he says he's okay. I just thought you might want to read it for yourself."

Ichigo had never intended for her to see the letter, but for some reason Isshin felt she had the right to know what was going on with him. He had seriously considered never giving her the letter or letting her know he had heard from his son. However, he was afraid the boy would suddenly reappear in her life which would be even more of an unwelcome and hurtful surprise. His fear had been this woman would tear his son apart. It had been a startling disappointment that it was his son instead that had shattered her world. He had known from the beginning there was no way to get out of this relationship without someone getting hurt. Never once did it cross his mind that it would be her caught in the middle of the emotional wreckage. Glancing at the children, he gave her a hug as her body shuddered uncontrollably.

"You might want to be alone to read this. I'll watch the boys. Take your time," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. He thought of her as a daughter since she would never be his daughter-in-law. Turning his back on her was one thing, but doing it to the children was quite another. One day, he would whip his son's ass for this.

Nami slowly rose from couch, willing her legs to move her to the kitchen and out to the back porch. She felt too weak to chance taking the stairs to hide in her bedroom. What could this letter possibly contain that he had given her such a dread inducing warning? Sitting down in one of the wicker chairs with the extra soft padded cushions, she pulled out the pages of the lengthy letter. After taking a deep breath, she unfolded the pages and began to read. The first page was full of the 'how are you, I'm fine' type fodder of most letters. At the beginning of the second page, the tone changed drastically when he began describing what was going on in his life.

_I'm a researcher at a pharmaceutical lab. Dad, I'm sorry that I will never be a doctor like you. Other things got in the way of that and sidetracked me. _

Nami swallowed hard to suppress the tears that rose with the guilt. She assumed that she was one of the 'other things' that distracted him from following his, and his father's, dream for him. Pulling in a steadying breath, she closed her burning eyes momentarily before reopening them to continue reading.

_I'll still be helping people. We're researching and developing drugs for major terminal diseases such as cancer and aids. There are other departments here as well that I can always transfer to later. Suffice it to say, there are many opportunities for advancement here. There's also a project that is very important here that only a few elite specialists are chosen to take part in. I'll tell you more about that later when I learn more myself._

_How are the children? I miss them terribly, especially Hisoka. I know he was not mine biologically, but more importantly the love I bore for him came straight from the heart rather than necessity of duty due to genetics. Yusei may look like me, but he's Grimmjow all over again._

Nami could not help but smile because she shared that opinion. Swiping at the tears that had escaped her eyes, she read further.

_Dad, I messed up when I let the woman get away that I loved so much. I should have fought harder for her. I should have kept trying like you did for Mom until she noticed you. Instead, I willingly pushed her into the other man's arms like a fool. If I had fought for her, I would have made things so different for her. She would never have become that wild creature. She would not have been held prisoner on that military base. However, that's purely selfish on my part and does not matter at all now. But she does love Grimmjow and is quite happy with him. And of course, there's the boys. I don't know if I could have ever made her happy like she is with her family. _

_I did meet a girl here though. She's one of the lead assistants on the much coveted big experiment._

Nami was not sure if she winced from the fact he had met someone or if it was the use of the word experiment which always left her with a bad taste in her mouth. It was a very harsh and displeasing word from the connotation it had been used in with Grimmjow and the awful memories it evoked for them both.

_Her name is Renate. She's from France. There are foreigners from all over the world here. It's an amazing place. I wish you could see it, Dad. The best equipment, the brightest minds; it's just incredible!_

Nami thought it was sweet how he would refer to his father occasionally in the letter as if he were conversing with him which made it so warm and personal. Like a glutton for punishment, she read every word as he affectionately described the lovely blond-haired, blue-eyed French tart. She struggled through each detailed recollection of the dates they had been on and how serious their relationship was getting.

_For Christmas, I'm buying her a ring. This is the one. I'm going to ask her to marry me._

Nami could not bear to read anymore. Refusing to give into the childish compulsion to rip the letter to shreds and set it on fire, she neatly folded it and put it back in the envelope. She would take it to Isshin and try to forget about what she had read. A smile tilted her lips despite the pain. It had brought closure to her and ended a chapter in her life. She would no longer have to wonder about him and if he was all right. Finally, she could let him go completely to love her husband to the fullest of her ability as she should without keeping any part of her heart from him because it was reserved for another man.

"Are you okay?" Isshin asked, taking the letter from her and sliding it into his back pocket. He could tell she had been crying, and she was still disturbingly pale. Touching her cheek, he found her skin to be very warm to the touch which ruled out that she was in a medical case of shock. It was just emotional shock affecting her so adversely.

"I'm fine, Isshin. For the first time in a very long time, I really am fine without him," she said, seeing in the man's dark eyes he knew exactly what she meant by the statement.

~\..'../~

* * *

_Five years later... _

Nami was standing at the sink washing the lunch dishes when Yusei tried to creep up behind her. She was thankful for the return of her acute hearing and a few of her other overdeveloped senses. She could smell the sweat on him and hear his feet scraping across the floor. Her super senses came in handy with the mischievous six-year-old who never tired of attempting to find new ways to surprise or just plain terrify her. She could hear the low croak of the toad he held in his hand as he reached out to attempt to slide it into her apron pocket.

"You do that and you'll regret it mister," she warned without looking at him.

"Oh, Mooooommmm," he whined, making her one syllable name into about four.

"Take your friend back outside to be with his brothers and sisters," she ordered him, looking down at the pouting orange head who still bore untamed spikes like his father. "How would you like it if someone took you away from your brother and sister?"

"I wouldn't like it," he mumbled, hanging his head and moving slowly to the back door.

"Now, Mr. Toad will be happy and so will I," she murmured as she watched him release the huge brown toad into the grass at the edge of the back porch.

"Maaaama!" Hisoka yelled, running into the kitchen holding his brown-haired sister who had just turned four.

The child was taller and sturdier built than his brother. However, what Yusei lacked in size he made up for in attitude. She could barely wait until he got older. There would no doubt be many calls from school because of fist fights he had gotten into to protect his siblings. Hisoka was becoming something of a gentle giant. He reminded her of a story she had read about a lion that had been raised with lambs and preferred to sit on a hill and sniff flowers all day. She could foresee the day when he would get pissed off for one reason or the other and the placid lamb would turn into a roaring lion to take down the wolves who threatened his family. She was sure that would be what it would take to stir up his ire and get him going. Especially his sister. Both boys were already incredibly protective of their baby sister, Mitsuhime, who was without a doubt their sweet princess. She looked like Nami except for her gorgeous blue eyes that were like Grimmjow's. The child also had her father's temperament. Boys beware of this one. Between her protective brothers and her own violent tendencies it would be a miracle if a boy could get close enough to her for a hug much less anything else. She had already blackened one overzealous young boy's eye when he thought he could get a peck on the cheek.

"Mamamamamama," Hisoka chanted when he thought he was being ignored.

"Oh, my god, honey, what?" Nami exclaimed, struggling to hold her sanity.

"Isn't sissy pretty?" he declared, holding her up.

"Oh, my," she gasped upon seeing that her daughter was made up to look like a clown although she was sure that was not the intention.

"I'm pretty!" Mitsuhime crowed, clapping her hands happily. Her lips were ringed with a thick line of shell pink lipstick and dark brown eye shadow covered her eyes making her look like some sort of crazed, faded panda. Two dark pink spots of blush sat on the apples of her cheeks in perfect circles.

Nami covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a giggle.

"Oh, Mama, you should see what she did to the bathroom," Hisoka added ominously, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "That's not so pretty."

"What?" Before Nami could get upset over what disaster that awaited her in the bathroom, she felt Yusei tugging intently on her apron.

"Mama, look!" He held up his prize to show her. In his little hands he held a harmless, at least venom wise, green snake. The danger now lay in what she would do to herself upon seeing the snake.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Dammit, get that out of here! I hate snakes! Bring back the toad, bring back the toad!" she screamed, running from her child who was eager to share the joy of his latest catch.

"But Mom! It's so pretty! And isn't green your favorite color? Oh, come on, Mom, just look at it," he begged, following after her as she made her escape across the foyer.

"What the hell..." Grimmjow muttered, jumping out of her way as his barely five foot tall wife nearly ran over him to get the stairs. He let out a roar of laughter while watching his vertically challenged wife take the stairs two at a time in her magnificently swift retreat. Glaring down at his son, he asked, "What you got boy?"

"This," the disappointed child said sadly, lifting up the jeweled toned snaked for his father to see.

"Take it out, Yusei. You know your mother hates snakes. What the hell is wrong with you?" His attention was quickly brought to his other children.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," Mitsuhime sang as Hisoka appeared from the kitchen with her still in his arms.

"Oh, my god," the increasingly and thoroughly entertained father muttered upon seeing the little clown who was his sweet but filthy mouthed daughter. "Where'd you hear that word, baby?"

"Mommy!" she squealed proudly.

"And Yusei said shit too," the miniature blunette tattle tailed.

"Honestly, Hisoka you're going to grow up to be a damn informant one day. You squeal more than a fucking pig!" the angry orangette yelled at him.

"Yusei, shut your mouth, dammit!" Grimmjow yelled.

"Dammit!" his daughter shrieked.

"YUSEI! Stop using your father's words! Grimmjow, I'm going to whip all of you!" Nami screamed from the safety of the bedroom. "Is that snake out of here yet?"

Grimmjow took Mitsuhime from her brother the snitch and signaled the Tom Sawyer wannabe to get the snake out of the house. He patted his mini-me on the head as his son proudly stood beside him holding his sister's hand while they waited for the return of the snake charmer.

"You're mother is going to kill us all," he warned them, moving to the stairs carrying his daughter while the boys followed behind. "You two go take your showers and meet me back down here to help cook dinner. I think you've all tortured your poor mother enough for one day."

Ichigo's room had become a room for the princess and the nursery had been transformed into a sitting room where the family would gather at night for reading stories and snuggling together before the children were put to bed. Grimmjow heard another scream from Nami. Looking at his heavily made up daughter, he could only imagine what kind of mess she had made for her mother in the bathroom.

"You could use a bath too, little girl," he muttered, taking her to her bathroom to give her a quick wash up. He would have to catch the boys, especially Yusei, before they got out of the shower to make sure they had actually used soap and not just ran around under the water to get wet. That boy seemed to be allergic to cleanliness.

The doorbell rang in the midst of bath time. Since Nami was the only person somewhat free to go answer the door, she threw down her cleaning cloth leaving that last smear of lipstick on the tiled wall until she could swiftly dispatch the person at the door. Irritation from her family's dirty mouths coupled with the awful make-up mess she had been cleaning had put her into a terrible mood. She stomped down the stairs, pushing up her sleeves as if she intended to beat the person standing at the door. Opening the door, she prepared to unleash her anger on the unsuspecting individual on the other side.

* * *

I can leave you with a cliffhanger but I can't end this without telling my beta, xfang-girlx, thanks for catching my grammar and typing mistakes!


	24. Chapter 24

I am grateful to my beta for catching my inconsistencies big and small and keeping me straight on the important details. :)

* * *

"What do you - " The words died in her throat when she saw the base Commander standing there with a man she did not know. She stared up at the man who must be at least seven feet tall with a scar down the left side of his face and an eye patch over his right eye. Apparently whatever had left that scar had taken his eye as well. She swallowed convulsively as the hard faced man glared down at her threateningly. Her eyes moved to his collar to see his rank, and she choked on the lump in her throat. The dual stars on each side of his neck marked him as being a Major General. What the hell was a high ranking General doing on her doorstep? Before she was able to ask, she could hear her noisy family falling in behind her to see who was at the door.

The Commander, a one star General, nervously stepped forward, pulling off his hat as he bowed respectfully to Nami and Grimmjow who was now a Colonel. He apologized for making an unannounced call to the home for military business.

"General Muguruma, what is going on here?" she inquired apprehensively as the man avoided looking her in the eye.

"This is Major General Zaraki. He just arrived on very important business. We need you to come with us. There's something you have to see," he informed them as he continued to shift with uneasiness which was highly uncharacteristic of him.

Nami stepped aside, taking her daughter who was still soaking wet and wrapped in a towel. She gathered the boys to her who thankfully had grabbed a towel before coming downstairs to see who was at the door. Yusei boldly stood in front of her while Hisoka shyly peeked from behind her.

"Hana!" Kensei yelled, making the children flinch from the sudden rise in volume of his voice.

"Yes, sir!" the obedient young man exclaimed, saluting the General who was his direct boss. He had become the assistant to the General thanks to Grimmjow's recommendation. Standing at attention, he awaited his next order.

"Nami," the Commander said in a much softer, kinder tone of voice as he turned his gaze to her. "We need you to come as well. This involves you too."

"Me? But how?" She felt Hisoka clutching her skirt as Yusei moved back against her and held out his arms protectively. The boy's pride and protectiveness knew no bounds or good sense.

"Hana, you stay with the children," he commanded the young man, noting that there was not even a hint of aversion in his eyes or his facial expression. Grimmjow had been correct about the boy becoming a great soldier.

"Yes, sir," he responded like a true soldier. He was actually quite fond of the family and had spent an extensive amount of time with them during the last five years whether it be for dinner or family outings on Satudays. He idolized the blue haired man he had first known as a tough drill sergeant who was the man he hated with every fiber of his being.

"Will you be okay?" she asked him while handing over Mitsu.

"Of course. You've let me babysit them before. I don't know what's going on Nami, but it must be some serious stuff. Like super top secret, disavow kind of stuff. Be careful," he warned her, seeing the fear flash through her eyes. He had not meant to frighten her even further.

"Nami, let's go," Grimmjow called, holding out his hand for her. He pulled her against him, leaning down close to her ear. "Stay close to me."

This was not helping calm her fears one bit and only served to feed them which made them grow. They were taken to the old lab that had been shut down. Grimmjow and Nami both tried not to vomit from sheer disgust due to the disconcerting memories this place brought back to them. He held her tightly against his side with one strong arm as they were led down the hallway to what had been turned into a morgue. When the doors opened, they saw Kisuke standing at the silver autopsy table over the huge lump covered by a sheet. It was about the length of a grown person but the irregular bumps jutting out at odd angles across the top and sides made it unidentifiable as human.

"Wha-what is this? Why am I here? How could this possibly pertain to me?" Nami asked, her voice rising sharply in fear.

"Honey, please," Grimmjow whispered, holding her head gently when she turned her face into his chest and latched onto handfuls of the coarse material of his uniform shirt. "Does she really have to be here for this?"

"Kisuke," Zaraki spoke, nodding his head at the scientist who had lost his professionalism.

Kisuke was horror struck to see Nami in the room. His face was more pale than usual and he looked absolutely ill at this moment. Swallowing hard, he grabbed the sheet over the body and prepared to pull it back.

"Can't she just leave for - " He began talking to be cut off by the booming voice of the Major General.

"Now, Urahara!" the terrifying man ordered impatiently.

Kisuke dutifully pulled back the sheet, watching Nami as she slowly turned her face to look at the creature lying dead on the metal table. He was afraid they would involve her when he had first seen this...thing. After all, she had intimate working knowledge of what could be deemed unusual creatures considering her work at the lab with him both off and on the base. Then there was her husband and what had happened to her. Still not over the shock himself of there being another experimental half man half beast, his mind was glutted with questions. Where did it come from? Were there more? Who was doing this? And why?

Nami stared at the being that was only remotely recognizable as something possibly human. It had pure white skin and a skinny, bony body that was covered in thick black fur from the waist down and partially on the arms. The hair was long and the deepest black color. She could just see the edges of what looked like black wings covered with leathery skin folded under his back; wings like a bat. Gazing at the face, her eyes studied the black marks that seemed to leak down his cheeks from his eyes. She thought he looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties.

"Are you sure he's dead?" she questioned them, swearing she saw the frail chest rise to take a shallow inhale.

"Yes of course. Why?" the Major General indignantly demanded.

Nami screamed when the eyes opened to reveal huge orbs of an unusual and radiant golden color set in black sclera. She shrieked again when the wings unfolded with an audible "whoosh" sound, knocking the stunned Kisuke against the wall.

"Dammit! It's not dead!" Zaraki bellowed pulling out his Ruger that was strapped to his side beneath his coat.

"Thanks, General Obvious!" Grimmjow yelled angrily risking insubordination due to his overflowing anger because they had idiotically put his wife in danger.

"NO!" Nami screeched, jumping for the gun and pushing the Major General's hands toward the ceiling.

They all ducked as if their arms would protect them from the bullet that ricocheted off the metal objects it came into contact with.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zaraki bellowed angrily, lunging for the woman who had made him miss his shot. He was caught off guard when he came face to face with a snarling man with extra long and threatening looking teeth bared at him.

"Back off, Zaraki, that's my wife," Grimmjow growled in a seemingly inhuman voice.

"I don't think he's harmful. He's just frightened," she told them, waving them to put their guns away that they had trained on the beast that stood on top of the table with his wings spread as if he were about to take flight. She tentatively stepped toward him, hearing his sharp clawed toes making a tapping sound on the table as he turned to look around him as if assessing his possibilities for escape.

"Don't be stupid, woman." Zaraki immediately shut his mouth when a menacing growl erupted from the feral man standing in front of him. He was sure he had more to fear from the beast in front of him than the one standing on the table searching for an escape route. "Can you call off your dog?"

"He's a cat," she corrected, moving closer to the frightened creature who was keeping his eyes on her. She backed away a step when he flapped his wings as a warning not to come any further.

"What do you want? Who are you people?" he asked in a soft yet strong voice.

"They're just frightened. They've never seen anything like you," Nami said, taking a cautious step in his direction.

"And you're not afraid?" he challenged, jumping down to the floor to land soundlessly on his clawed, furry feet directly in front of her.

Nami had steeled herself so she would not flinch. She held his intense gaze as he reached forward with his hand to touch her with his talon like black nails.

"No. I'm not," she responded finally when his furry palm pressed to her cheek. His hand was surprisingly warm and the fur was soft against her skin. Why had she expected him to be cold and coarse? She did know bats are warm blooded mammals, but he was supposedly dead so maybe that was why she had expected him to feel cold. It could also be the sickly white pallor of his skin that had caused her to make that assumption. He seemed so thin and emaciated yet he had been powerful enough to throw Kisuke against the wall with enough force to lose consciousness with one flap of those wings.

"But why?" he asked, seizing her by the arms and holding her. His eyes seemed to be attempting to penetrate her face as he stared at her searchingly. "Why aren't you afraid?"

Nami gasped when she felt something moving around her waist. Looking down she saw it was a black tail with a tuft of fur on the end; it was attached to him. She wanted to scream and struggle as he tightened the prehensile appendage around her and pulled her close to him. He was barely taller than her but he still had an imposing presence with his wide wing span and emotionless yellow eyes.

"Because you're not the first unexplainable creature I've seen," she returned, waving Grimmjow to come to her.

"Who is he?" he queried, experimentally pulling her into his arms as if she were a human comfort object - or perhaps a protective shield - as the blue haired man approached him.

Grimmjow pushed his long hair behind his ears to show their pointed, fur covered tips and opened his mouth to reveal his teeth. He made eye contact with the half bat so he would notice his vertical pupils.

"What the hell is going on here?" the stymied Major General hollered. Even the half conscious scientist on the floor appeared more cognizant of the situation at hand than him.

"Please shut up, Major General because you're being a major pain in the ass," Nami wheezed as the creature in front of her tightened his tail around her waist.

"Don't hurt her. She's the only thing keeping you safe right now," her husband warned before he gave into his urge to attack the bat. "Kill her and you're dead."

Nami took several deep breaths when the vise grip around her waist was loosened. Her body still ached from the squeezing but she did not complain.

"What is your name?" she asked, backing away from him a step although she was still securely held to him by his tail.

"Ulquiorra," he responded, keeping a wary eye on the other men in the room.

"Where did you come from?" She stayed as still as possible so he would not constrict that tail around her again.

"A lab. Kind of like this one." His eyes studied the shaken Kisuke who struggled to his feet and held his aching head that had made a painful meeting with the wall.

"Where is the lab?" Nami winced when his amber eyes fastened on her face again with that disturbing, soul piercing stare.

"I - I don't know. I can't...I can't remember," he stammered in a low, barely audible voice.

Nami paused when his face contorted with pain and confusion as if it hurt him to think. Her mothering instincts got the best of her after his expression changed and he appeared hopelessly lost and afraid. She put her arms around him, feeling his body stiffen remarkably from her affectionate touch.

"It's okay. We won't hurt you. You're safe here," she assured him, stroking his long, surprisingly silky hair. Her hands moved down to his arms where she continued to pet him affectionately. A deep, rumbling snarl erupted behind her from her jealous husband. "Grimmjow, I'm just comforting him. Calm down."

"What the hell is she? The freak whisperer?" Zaraki inquired, receiving a withering look from Muguruma. Everyone in this place had lost their damn minds and had forgotten who was really in charge here. Considering they seemed to understand what they were dealing with, he decided not to pull rank and threaten to court martial any of them.

Grimmjow was well aware of what she was doing because she had done that to him many times. He studied the young man's face, watching for any inappropriate moves he might make. From personal experience, many 'inappropriate' reactions had come of her petting him that way.

"What's your name?" Ulquiorra asked her, touching her face again with his claws.

"Nami," she responded with a smile.

"Nami," he repeated, resting his hands on her waist.

"Okay, Batman that's enough. Hands off my wife," Grimmjow ordered, pulling Nami away from him.

"Wife? She's yours?" His golden eyes finally registered an emotion: curiosity.

"Since you're talking ownership, yes she is."

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra murmured, staring at the bestial man blocking the kind woman from his view. He was reminded of a woman from the laboratory he had come from. "Renate."

"What did you say?" Nami queried, stepping from behind her husband.

"Renate," he repeated, reaching for her.

"No. Hands off my property," her husband said, pushing the furry taloned hand away.

If Nami had not been so shocked by hearing that name, she would have slapped her husband for that one. Could that possibly be the same Renate who was by now Ichigo's wife? Her eyes moved to the unique new creature standing in front of her. Is he a part of the 'coveted big experiment' she had read about in the letter so long ago? The abrupt onset of lightheadedness caused her to stumble before she dropped to her knees. Could Ichigo be a part of what's responsible for this creature?

"How could he?" she murmured under her breath, covering her face with her hands. "How could he do such a terrible thing?"

"Nami, what is it?" Grimmjow knelt down beside her, taking her into his arms. She felt cold and her body was shaking.

"Grimmy, I think Ichi - " Before she could finish her sentence, she fainted. It was too dreadful for her to even say out loud or contemplate any longer. How could Ichigo willingly be a part of this kind of science experiment after seeing what she and Grimmjow had been through?


	25. Chapter 25

After a fitful night's sleep, Nami returned to the lab first thing in the morning to assist with tending to the bizarre newcomer to the base. She avoided looking at Major General Zaraki who was standing close to her and glowering at her so intently she could feel it. Talking to the half man half bat who was sitting on the examining table distracted her a little from the vicious glare while they waited for Kisuke to return with more supplies and equipment for a more thorough examination of the creature. Her husband stood beside the Commander General across the room and they talked in hushed voices in what was apparently a very serious conversation judging by her husband's angry expression that included keeping his teeth bared in a semi-permanent snarl. Her ears just could pick up on their low voices to hear as they talked.

"He wants to reopen the experiment. The one Kisuke was working on with Mayuri," Muguruma informed him.

"The one that made me?" Grimmjow hissed in return, a deep rumble of a growl rolling around in his chest. "Fucking idiot! Does that crazy bastard know what he's getting into?"

"No. No, he doesn't," the Commander returned. "It's just plain wrong. No human has the right to play God. It destroys too many lives."

"We have to fight fire with fire," Zaraki interjected, shifting his gaze to the creature. "Otherwise, how will we stop these..." He paused, allowing his face to contort with revulsion before spitting out the word,"_things_? I don't like this anymore than you do, but how else do we go after them? You've knowingly had one in your midst for years so what's the problem?"

Grimmjow snarled at the Major General and had every intention of attacking him but was interrupted by Kisuke who passed right in between them. His eyes followed the man's path to the table, releasing a low growl when he saw his wife pushing the young man down onto his back. He did not like his wife being so close to Ulquiorra.

"They can't be serious. Are they really going to reopen the experiment and make more beings like Grimmjow and Ulquiorra?" Nami asked Kisuke in a whisper, absent-mindedly rubbing the back of Ulquiorra's hand as Kisuke prepared to take a blood sample.

"I'm afraid they are," he answered, chewing on his lower lip when the young man winced from the insertion of the needle into his arm. "I know it's asking a lot, and I fully expect you to say no, but would you be willing to be my assistant on the project?"

"Yes, I'll do it," she answered swiftly without hesitating. She smiled when his surprise widened gray eyes met hers. If it was going to happen, she wanted to be a part of it to oversee the treatment of these new beings; to make sure they were treated kindly and with respect since they would still be half human and not mere animals.

"Are you sure?" he inquired, half hoping she would tell him no or at least request time to think about it.

"I'm sure," she responded confidently, looking down at the white hand that was squeezing hers. "What are you going to do with him? He's not an animal. He can't be kept in a cage."

"Well, some of the patient rooms are still set up here. We will put him in one of the rooms with a functional lock," he said, ignoring her crestfallen expression.

"Kisuke, that's still a cage," she said sadly.

"It has to be done. It's better than that," he grumbled, nodding toward the huge iron box with air holes built for holding zoo animals they had used to transport Ulquiorra to the lab.

Nami kept her mouth shut realizing arguing was useless. Glancing toward the three men across the room deep in conversation, she felt her heart begin to sink as she heard them discussing specifics of how the experiments would proceed. Men would be recruited to the project on a strictly voluntary basis and still had the option to decline once all of the specifics were explained to them. All of the men, whether accepting or declining to join the project, would have to sign a gag order and if they dared to speak of the experiments, drastic measures would be taken to keep them quiet. After the new creatures were sufficiently mature, Grimmjow would be responsible for training them and turning them into an army of a new breed of soldiers. The first priority was to find the lab Ulquiorra came from and shut it down. Then they would be responsible for tracking down and trapping as many of their kind as possible. After that, who knew? Those options would be discussed later.

"Their _kind_," she snorted angrily, feeling the hair rise on the back of her neck.

"Nami," Kisuke whispered in a barely audible voice.

"What?" she snapped, turning her gaze to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he regarded her suspiciously.

"What?" She pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"When did it happen? When did it come back? What else is there besides the hearing?" he questioned her in rapid succession forgetting all about the new and interesting creature on the table.

"About three years ago. It started with the hearing, then the sense of smell. Over the last few months, my sight has improved drastically and I can see at night again. I didn't want to tell you. I wanted to pretend it wasn't happening," she mumbled, lowering her eyes to avoid his. "So far it's just my senses. There's been no physical changes."

"I need to find out for myself. I need to do a thorough exam, blood work - " He was brusquely interrupted by his new assistant.

"There's other more pressing matters to attend to, Mr. Urahara," she reminded him, touching the cheek of the sleeping young man on the table who had transformed into a fully human appearance.

"Amazing. How did they engineer them to do that so fast? Do they have control over it?" he asked himself, shifting into scientist mode.

"Find out," Zaraki barked, catching a glimpse of the human Ulquiorra. "We're counting on you, Urahara. You might even be promoted to Major for this if you pull it off."

~\..'../~

* * *

_Seven years later_...

The day was quickly approaching when they would be ready to mobilize and put their plans and theories into action. It was almost time for a full assault on the laboratory that had produced Ulquiorra. They had located the lab in the United States that was indeed covered by an actual working pharmaceutical research company. The additional activities of the human and animal experiments went on in the very same building as the legitimate drug research. It was going to be tricky invading and seizing the covert, unnatural part of the operation without causing too much of a commotion and causing innocent lives to be lost. Over the years since Ulquiorra's arrival, two other creatures had made their way to the military base from the American lab. At the beginning they were regarded as spies and treated as such. However, time proved they were only escapees looking for a safe haven. One was a white tiger hybrid named Luppi Atenor who managed to be a permanent burr in the backside of Grimmjow. Arrogant and self-centered, he preferred to annoy the blue-haired man more than doing anything else on earth. The other being was a half wolf by the name of Coyote Starrk who was hopelessly lazy and unmotivated and preferred not to do anything at all.

Nami was busy tending to a wound on Luppi's shoulder inflicted by Grimmjow during training when her cell phone rang. She slapped the last piece of tape on the edge of the bandage covering the deep gouge he had received, ignoring the grumpy hiss of the pained hybrid. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she groaned when she saw the base school's phone number. She had become very familiar with that number since it popped up on her caller ID so much. Pressing the green phone button to answer, she braced herself for the shrill, panicked voice of Mrs. Soloman, Yusei's teacher.

"You're son has been fighting again!" she shrieked into the phone causing Nami to pull it away from her ear.

"I'll be right there, Mrs. Soloman," Nami sighed, pressing the button to end the call despite the fact the teacher was still ranting.

"Who did he beat the hell out of now?" Kisuke asked, watching her as she grabbed her purse.

"I don't know. Hopefully it wasn't the Major General's kid again. He still punishes Grimmjow for that one every chance he gets," she muttered, slamming her desk drawer.

"Good luck, dear. Don't worry about coming back today. Just take care of your son," he told her as she was leaving.

~...~

Nami could see both of her sons sitting in the chairs by the principle's office. Yusei had a cut on his right cheek and a split lip. Hisoka did not have a mark on his face but the knuckles of both hands looked as if he had repeatedly scraped them across a cheese grater. What the hell had happened here? And why were her boys the only ones in trouble?

"MOM!" Yusei yelled, his brown eyes opening wide with excitement. He jumped out of the chair and ran to meet her, flinging his arms around her waist.

Nami looked up at the boy who was barely taller than her before her eyes moved to his brother who had stood to his feet and towered over them both being as tall as his father and just as wide despite being only thirteen years old. She released a noisy sigh of resignation as she glared at the orange haired kiss up who still held her tightly around her waist.

"Yusei, what the hell have you done dragging your brother into your crap? What happened?" she demanded, staring at the reticent blue haired boy who stared at his big feet in obvious shame.

"Oh, Mama, you should have seen it!" Yusei rattled excitedly, launching into a detailed story of the event.

Hisoka had gone to save his sister after some of their older male classmates had trapped her in a corner of the playground. He had simply pushed the boys aside before extracting his sister from the grip of the biggest brute in the middle who was about to kiss her. The idiot kid who purposely picked on the wrong sister was none other than Takeshi Zaraki. Armed with more brawn than brains and not to be deterred from winning his prize, he had thrown a punch at Hisoka while attempting to retrieve Mitsuhime but had accidentally pushed her to the ground in his effort to grab her. Upon seeing his crying sister and the leering, unapologetic Takeshi, Hisoka lost his temper and found his wild side which he promptly unleashed on the unsuspecting adversary. When the bully's friends jumped into the fray, Yusei noticed and that's when he had to get involved as well. No fight was a good fight until he jumped into the middle of it. Or so he thought.

"It was great, Mom! You should have seen him! Hisoka beat their ass and went back to give them more if they dared to move. They never laid a hand on him. Not one single hit!" Yusei exclaimed, his voice cracking and rising so high he screeched.

Nami glanced at her quiet son who wore a soft pink blush over the tops of his cheeks and looked mortified rather than proud. She hugged Yusei and moved away from him to stand in front of Hisoka.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Hisoka mumbled, continuing to stare at his feet to avoid her gaze.

"Baby, there's nothing to apologize for. You were protecting your sister. Sometimes it's okay to fight. There are noble causes that occasionally require physical force to protect them," she said, patting him on the cheek. She smiled at him when he raised his bright blue eyes to her face.

"Yeah, like Mitsu's virginity!" Yusei yelled, slapping his brother on the back proudly. That boy knew no shame.

Nami smacked him across the back of his head when his brother turned a striking shade of crimson.

"Ow, Moooommmm," he whined, rubbing his sore skull.

"Dammit, Yusei," she growled. "Would you learn to just shut up?!"


	26. Chapter 26

Grimmjow held Nami close to him but her naked body was not having its usual effect on him. He was thinking about the upcoming mission. In a few hours, he would be on an airplane bound for the United States where they would infiltrate the lab and seize everything they could. What files, hybrids, and scientists not present and seized at the first strike would be picked up by a sweeper team later. He tried to troubleshoot every possible scenario of what could go wrong in his head. There had to be a solution for any problem or unexpected difficulty that could arise. He had to get back home alive and in one piece. He had too much to lose. Pulling Nami closer, he kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you that worried?" she asked as if she knew what he was thinking. "If you are, I understand. I am too."

"Misery loves company, huh?" he murmured, smiling at her as she rolled on top of him.

"I suppose so," she rejoined, kissing him briefly on the lips. She sighed as his fingers slid up her back and his lips pressed against the hollow at the bottom of her neck.

"Want to get lost in a wonderful dream with me for a while?" he inquired, trailing kisses across her collarbone. He was suddenly over his lack of interest in his naked wife. Right now he wanted to be as close to her as possible.

"Definitely," she answered, pulling his mouth to hers. Raising her hips, she waited for him to get himself positioned correctly under her so she could slide down on top of him.

"Sweetheart, I love you," he whispered, moving her body slowly with his hands on her hips.

"I love you too. Promise you'll come home to me," she begged, gazing into his eyes that reflected the low light from the shafts of moonlight illuminating the room with a soft blue glow.

"I will be back. Don't worry. Nothing can keep me from you," he murmured, holding her intense gaze. He sped up the movements of his hips when the pure physical delight and emotional comfort her body was bringing to him infiltrated every nerve.

"Oh, Grimmy," Nami whispered, lowering her forehead against his lips as she rocked her hips against his to move him inside of her.

Grimmjow held onto her, concentrating on the unadulterated pleasure she sent spiralling through his body. She was his everything. He loved her for many reasons but she had been the one person who loved him first when he felt so incredibly unlovable. After giving him her heart and her life, she gave him three of the most incredible gifts a man could ever ask for. He could not live without her, and he had no intention of making her live without him.

"Nami," he gasped, pressing his lips against her chest over her heart.

Nami cried out in ecstasy as her body shuddered on top of him from her breathtaking orgasm. Her breath was coming in loud inhales and her inner muscles contracted around him which drew him to his climax. She held onto him, whispering his name and how much she loved him as he released inside of her with a choking sound to keep from yelling out from the pleasure. Thankful for the cover of darkness, she bowed her head into the shadows to keep him from seeing the tears in her eyes.

The moon had disappeared and so had the stars. Dawn would be coming soon which would signal the time for his flight to leave.

"Nami, I have to - "

"I know." She moved off of him, lying with her back to him so he could not see her crying. It was time for him to get ready.

"Come with me," Grimmjow requested, standing beside the bed. He wanted her to join him in the shower so he would not miss one second of their dwindling minutes together.

"But if I do, you will make love to me again. We'll make you late." She sat up and took his hand anyway. She passively allowed him to pull her to her feet then take her in his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

"So what if we do? That plane can't leave the ground until I'm on it. Let's go."

~...~

The children had awakened and dressed before gathering in the sitting room while their parents showered and dressed. They had a little time to say their emotional good-byes to their father and spend a few last minutes with him. They were completely aware of the danger of the mission that awaited him. The whole family rode in silence to the airstrip where everyone else was waiting. The Commander General did not seem to notice they were late as he stood alone, patiently waiting until all pertinent individuals were present. General Muguruma would be staying behind to maintain Command of the base while the Major General would be taking part in the mission himself. Zaraki looked as if he were going to blow a gasket due to Grimmjow's tardiness as he stood beside the plane at attention with his son, who had dressed in his military uniform for the occasion, stood beside him. Yusei and Hisoka were too upset by their own father leaving to give a damn about the presence of their nemesis, Takeshi Zaraki who stared at them with unveiled hatred. However, when his hate filled black eyes landed on the puffy, tear-stained face of Mitsuhime, his expression changed drastically. Suddenly he appeared as if he might cry himself until his father elbowed him with a painful jab to the ribs to break him out of it. Inside the huge cargo plane waited the seven hybrids they had genetically engineered in the military lab in addition to the three refugees that had found their way to the base and would be taking part in the maneuver.

Grimmjow took Nami into his arms, keeping the kiss short and sweet as not to offend or embarrass his children. He hugged each child in turn next. It brought tears to his eyes when Hisoka had to peel the frantic, bawling Mitsuhime from around his waist. Quickly turning away, he strode toward the airplane purposefully. If he dared to turn back to look at any of them, he might abort the mission entirely and risk getting court marshalled to stay with his family.

Nami felt Yusei's strong arms go around her waist and pull her close as the airplane engine began to hum then grew to a roar when the engine came to full throttle before preparing to take off. She leaned against him when her legs unexpectedly weakened upon the plane rolling down the runway.

"Mom?" he inquired, concern making his voice break.

"I'm okay, baby," she assured him, feeling anything but okay. Nami heard a sound, a distinct whistle and screech that was not from the plane as the wheels left the ground. Looking over at General Muguruma, she could tell that he had heard it too because his gray head was moving back and forth methodically as he scanned the area. There was a stifled boom then a yellow light streaked through the air from the ground. "General! There!"

"Oh, god no!" he muttered, grabbing the radio on his side. "Warn that plane!" he yelled into radio, but it was too late.

The people on the tarmac watched in disbelief as the yellow light that looked like flare contacted the airplane and a deafening explosion sounded. They all hit the pavement, covering their ears and trying to shield each other from the debris after the side of the plane burst open from the missile that had hit it. Yusei was covering Nami and Hisoka was covering Mitsuhime. Someone else had saved them all by using his body to protect the family from the shock of the blast that ripped a hole in airplane.

"Takeshi!" Mitsu gasped, grabbing the lapels of his uniform to shake him. She screamed his name again when he did not respond verbally and his closed eyes did not open.

"No," Nami whispered, unable to get past rising to her hands and knees as she stared at the burning wreckage that was on the runaway several hundred yards from them. "No, no, no, NO!"

The fire engines and ambulances that had been waiting in the area just as a safety precaution for the take off, moved past them at a high rate of speed in the direction of the crashed plane that had been blown out of the sky. Yusei took off toward the accident scene, easily leaving his larger bulkier brother behind.

"Run, Rabbit, RUN!" Mitsu screamed at her brother. When the unconscious boy in her arms stirred from her loud voice, she looked down and sighed in relief to see he was staring up at her.

If Nami had not been so worried about her husband, she would have been terrified by the scene taking place next to her when Mitsuhime kissed Takeshi Zaraki - right on the lips. She barely noticed the medics who moved in to pick up Takeshi and the relieved Mitsuhime. Nami watched with shocked detachment as the Commander, Hana, and several other soldiers raced in the direction from which the missile had come. Apparently someone had been waiting in the high grass surrounding the airstrip with a missile launcher to take down the plane. Why had they not seen them? How had anyone been able to get that close to the base undetected?

Nami saw an orange head rise out of the golden brown grass that looked like wheat. If it had not been for the color of that hair she would not have recognized him. The hair reached all the way down to his waist and billowed out behind him in the strong wind that suddenly blew up from nowhere. Too shocked to emit a sound at the unexpected sight she beheld, her mouth dropped open in a silent scream while her eyes remained on the bony face with disturbing pointed teeth that reminded her of those in an alligator's mouth. She was not sure if was a mask or his actual face, but whatever it was, it was scary as hell. His usually tanned skin was now white like Ulquiorra's. What did they do at that lab to do this to their hybrids? His body seemed even more muscled and was mostly revealed since he was only wearing pants. His feet and hands bore a reptilian appearance with long digits that ended with dangerously sharp claws. Her sharp eyes watched every move as his clawed hand raised to his face to remove what must be a mask. Despite the distance, she could clearly see the golden yellow eyes set in black sclera.

"Ichigo," she gasped, recognizing his face despite the terrible changes. Standing to her feet, she swayed unsteadily. Her eyes moved across the horizon until they beheld the scene of the downed and burning plane in front of her. "You bastard, Ichigo."

~^..^~

Yusei dropped to his knees beside his father who was lying on his back with his right arm trapped beneath a heavy metal container that held some of the equipment for the mission. Other than his arm, he seemed mostly unharmed except for several scratches on his face. Hearing his father groan, he was somewhat relieved but it was only momentary until he really studied the position of the metal box. It seemed to be flat on the ground which meant his father's arm would be totally crushed. Trying not to panic, he was glad to see the medics and his brother arriving at the same time.

"Where's Mitsu?" Yusei asked, glancing around for her.

"In the ambulance with Takeshi," Hisoka answered swiftly, glancing around the box to survey the situation. "We need to move this."

"Well, duh, but how genius?" he snapped since his brother was stating the obvious.

"We have a pump and an air bag. If you could lift the edge..." The firefighter stopped talking as he watched the blue haired teenager grab the box and with a loud yell lift it up to push it away from his father. "That works too."

"Oh, god," Yusei groaned upon seeing the mangled bloody mess beneath. He immediately knew his father would lose his arm. Ripping the white t-shirt off his back, he wadded it up and pressed it against the bloody jagged wound to help stem the bleeding.

"We've got it," the female paramedic gently told him, elbowing him out of the way so they could take care of the man who suddenly yelled out in pain.

"Where's Mom?" Yusei inquired, staring his silent brother who was pointing into the field next to the airstrip. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Hisoka grabbed his brother's orange head to turn it in the right direction just in time for both of them to see their mother launch herself toward the...thing. He stared at his brother's orange hair that was just like that of the creature their mother had just jumped on and taken to the ground causing them to disappear in the tall grass.

"She's insane!" Yusei yelled attempting to take off but was held still by his brother's massive hand covering his head. He struggled under the weight, pulling at Hisoka's fingers. "Let me go, dammit! We have to help!"

"Don't you recognize him?" Hisoka asked, turning his brother's attention to him with a flick of the wrist.

"Should I?" He had indeed recognized the man-beast but did not want to admit it. His parents had never hidden the truth of his origins or who his 'real' father was from him.

"He's the sperm donor. He's your father." He knew his brother was irate when the carrot top dislodged his hand with a painful stinging slap.

"Not my father," he countered hotly, his tanned skin turning red with anger. "That's definitely our mother, idiot, now let's go!"

* * *

Thank you xfang-girlx for your help. It's always appreciated.


	27. Chapter 27

Yusei was wading through the tall grass attempting to make his way to the growling and screaming coming from the area where his mother and that thing were thrashing about. He refused to call that monster his father under any circumstances. As far as he was concerned, his brother had said it correctly when he referred to the man as a sperm donor. They had both agreed long ago that Ichigo Kurosaki had stopped being their daddy the day he walked out of the door and abandoned their family. Ichigo had no one to blame but himself for how they felt about him because it had been his decision to leave. Their Daddy had told them about what had really happened to the great and wonderful man their mother had told them about for years on their fifteenth birthdays but had sworn them to secrecy to not let their mother know he had told them.

Something white and snarling streaked past him through the tall grass. Yusei was not sure what it was but he guessed it was Hisoka. He envied his brother for being a half beast like their Daddy. For years he had wished it had happened to him. Halting his steps as the animal his sperm donor had become rose up out of the thigh high grass, he stared at him in disgust. The sight of that terrible creature made him rethink all those years he had hated his brother and been jealous of him. Is that thing what he would have become? His revulsion evolved into rage as the thing held up his mother with his horrid claws wrapped around her neck. Before he could move, his brother was there and stood up out of the tall grass.

"Oh, my god," he breathed when saw his brother. He would have thought it was their Daddy standing there in his half beast form.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo growled staring at the feline, blue haired male standing in front of him. He dropped Nami from his clutches, allowing her to fall unchecked to ground.

Nami was thankful for the cushion of the thick, overgrown grass when she fell straight down to the ground. Coughing and rubbing her neck, she winced and tried to pull away when a pair of strong hands grabbed her upper arms.

"Mom, it's me," Yusei hissed, pulling her away as they both stared in horrified awe at the two creatures facing each other.

"Yusei!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck so tightly she nearly choked him. She glanced at him and swallowed convulsively to rid herself of the lump in her throat. The pale stricken face of her son as he stared at what used to be his loving father made her want to cry. Something else made her want to cry too and she swallowed again so she could ask her next question. "Your Daddy...is he..."

"No, he's not dead," he answered, his gaze never wavering from the two beings who were still at a standoff. He did not want to tell her about their Daddy's arm yet; knowing he was alive would be enough for her at the moment. Mesmerized by the sight of his brother in his half beast form, he was struck by the similarity between Hisoka and their father. Apparently it was so similar, or Ichigo was so stupid with his tiny bestial brain, that he did not get this man was not Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow?" he repeated as a question this time. Maybe he was getting it.

"No," Hisoka growled, revealing his lethally sharp fangs. He had never drawn blood like their father but there was a first time for everything. The man in front of him appeared to be a worthy victim. Ichigo would deserve to have his throat ripped open for everything he had done to their family - _his _family.

"Hisoka," Ichigo breathed, instantaneously turning back into his human form. "Son..."

"Don't call me that," he snarled in return, springing backwards to avoid the touch of the hand outstretched to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm -" He lowered his eyes to the ground. Sadness and regret overwhelmed him. What had he done?

"It's too late. I don't want to hear it," he snapped back at the man, curling and uncurling his clawed hands at his sides. He was visibly shaking and his voice faltered as he spoke his next words. "I will kill you."

Ichigo's head snapped up and he swiftly changed back into the reptilian creature. Smirking evilly before carefully replacing the mask on his face, he taunted, "Fine. Try to kill me if you can, but know this...I have no qualms about killing you."

"I would hope not," Hisoka countered, grinning viciously back at him. "I would not want you to go easy on me. And I'm not a coward who hides behind a mask. Bring it on, Old Man."

"Hisoka, no!" Nami screamed to have a big hand clamped over her mouth.

"Mama, shutup," Yusei whispered in her ear holding the feisty struggling woman tightly with his other arm. His father had always remarked how incredibly strong she was and now he was getting a firsthand taste of it. The muscles in his upper arms bulged and was already growing sore from trying to hang onto her as the two halflings jumped at each other growling with teeth bared and claws ready to strike.

Nami realized her son was bare-chested when he held her against him. Ceasing her struggle to get out of his grip and jump on the man attacking her other son, she peeled his hand away from her mouth.

"Where is your shirt?" she inquired, keeping her eyes on the fight ahead of her.

"Um..." He still did not want to tell her about his Daddy's arm. He felt she had enough shocking events to deal with at this time. It was time to redirect her attention which he had become a master of doing through the years. "Mitsu kissed Takeshi."

"Look you, don't try to distract me," she warned him. Instead of him redirecting her focus, it was his brother that managed to do it by emitting a high-pitched, panther like shriek as he grabbed the orange haired beast around the waist and picked him up. She watched in distress and terror as he slammed the other man to the ground before he dropped down on top of him. All she could see was the grass swaying as they rolled together and continued their fight.

"It's like watching one of our schoolyard fights. It's kinda sad really," Yusei muttered with disappointment evident in his voice.

"So why don't you jump in and make it better? Isn't that what you do?" Nami inquired sarcastically, surprising her son and making him smile.

"MOM! Are you actually asking me to get involved in a fight?" He was finding it hard to not laugh when she came to herself and her mouth dropped open before her hand flew over it as if to keep herself from saying anything else rash. Laying down on his back in the grass to stare up at the blue sky that reminded him of his Daddy's eyes, he decided to relax while waiting for the physical altercation taking place close by to end. Closing his eyes, he sighed noisily before saying, "No. I won't jump in. This one is all Hisoka's fight. Besides, from what you told us, he always loved Ichigo more anyway. He will only be giving the man what he deserves since Dad's not here to do it."

Nami glared at him in disbelief at what she was seeing and hearing. The one time it would have been perfectly all right for him to insert himself into the middle of a fracas he chooses not to. Shaking her head, she stood up in an attempt to see what was going on. Lifting her foot to take a step toward the swaying grass and the awful sounds of the epic struggle taking place, she was stunned when his fingers suddenly wrapped around her wrist to stop her.

"Don't go, Mom," he said, opening his deep brown eyes to look at her. "I'm serious. Let Hisoka handle it. Since Dad's not here to protect you and defend our family honor, let him do it."

"What?" She was growing more baffled by her son's uncaring attitude and skewed thought process by the minute.

"It's a man thing," he responded off handedly, shrugging lazily as if the two men were having a simple disagreement instead of a battle to the death.

"Ohhhh...no wonder it makes no sense." Nami's attention was once again diverted when the Commander and Hana came through the grass toward them.

"Are you okay?" Hana inquired with obvious concern as he looked at the scratches and bruises on her neck.

"I'm fine," she assured him, pushing his hands away when he tried to examine the injuries.

"What's going on?" General Muguruma inquired, looking toward the source of movement and noise a few yards away.

"A pissing contest," Yusei helpfully submitted.

"Oh," the other two men replied in unison without doing a thing.

"You're all crazy as hell," Nami grunted, plopping down in the grass beside her son.

"Wish we could see. It's got to be a great fight," the General muttered grumpily.

"Unbelievable," she snorted in annoyance. "My son could die and no one will stop it."

"He won't die. You should know that," her other son rejoined with a condescending tone. "A few scrapes and bruises won't hurt him. I doubt if he even gets that."

Nami thought back to the fight at school that had taken place a few months ago. Hisoka had accidentally caused an altercation to break out between him and Takeshi in his attempt to defend his sister. He had single-handedly taken out Zaraki but all of his burly pals as well. The whole concept still seemed ridiculous and foreign to her to just 'duke it out' and call it a day. And men have the nerve to call women confusing. Tell a woman she's beautiful, pretend all other women are loathsome hags, add in some chocolate and wine and that is all a female needs to be happy. But beating the hell out of someone to save face while abusing the physical one just did not make sense.

"I'm going to the hospital. Bring my son when he's done," she told them, preparing herself for the long trek across base to the infirmary. She could no longer stand by and listen to the horrible keening sounds and watch the thrashing grass while wondering what the hell was happening to her son.

~...~

* * *

"Mrs. Jaegerjaques?" the nurse called, gently touching the slumbering woman's shoulder. She bit her lip when Nami sleepily moaned in way that sounded like a grief-stricken howl. Isane had been the one saddled with the dreadful task of explaining her husband's condition to her when she had arrived at the hospital looking quite the worse for wear. She had treated the woman's wounds while she cried which had brought tears to her own eyes. It had been difficult to comfort her and even hours later when she had come to check on her, tears had still been rolling down her swollen face in silence. When Dr. Unohana had okayed giving the inconsolable woman an injection of a potent sedative, she had gratefully complied and administered the shot. After Nami had fallen asleep, she had called for an intern to pick the sleeping woman up and move her to the room where her husband would be recuperating after surgery.

"What is it, Isane?" Nami inquired drowsily throwing back the covers and hopping from the bed.

"I've got two pieces of good news for you," she said, placing her arms around the unsteady woman before she fell to the floor.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning heavily on the tall nurse. She was grateful not only for the physical strength of the kind nurse but the emotional strength as well.

"Colonel Jaegerjaques is out of surgery and doing well. Your sons just arrived. Hisoka has a big gash over his right eye that is getting stitched but he's fine," she informed Nami, feeling her go limp in her arms. Sitting her back down on the bed, she sat down beside her to be a literal shoulder to lean on.

"Thank you," she whispered, unable to cry although she felt like she wanted to from sheer relief. "What happened to - "

Isane shook her head that was leaned against the other woman's. "Don't ask."

"Oh, my baby," she gasped, feeling the tears slip from her eyes. How could her tender-hearted Hisoka live with the knowledge of being a murderer?

"Mom?" he called from the door.

"I'll leave you two alone," Isane said, getting up from the bed.

Nami put her arms around her son when he sat down beside her. She held him like she did when he was a little boy. Feeling his body shudder, she bit her lip as the emotional dam inside of him broke and he cried; great gulping sobs that tore at her heart and ripped apart her very soul. She could not stop herself from crying along with him. She had never felt so emotionally fragile and incapable in all of her life. Even her own father's abandonment had not caused her this much grief or fear. Ichigo's sudden disappearance had not effected her as badly as she thought it would have or stirred up any trauma from her past. However, she had been forced to push past her own pain to be strong for her family. Taking a deep breath to gather every sliver of courage within her, she set her mind to saving to her son before she lost him forever.

"Mom, I killed him," Hisoka announced as if she did not know what had happened.

"Sweetheart, we don't have to talk about this now. Whenever you're ready we can - " She stopped short when he sat up and stared at her.

"I have to talk about it...now. I can't stop those last moments from playing over and over in my head. I have to tell you what happened, Mama. Please, let me tell you," he begged, staring at her with his red rimmed blue eyes that seemed to be glowing with his unspoken anguish.

Nami took a shaky breath, nodding her head for him to continue. If he was ready, she would have to be. She listened silently as he told her the story of what happened.

_Hisoka had worn Ichigo down and weakened him. Finally he was poised to take the fatal strike, sitting on the broken and wounded man's chest glaring down at him. At the last minute, his hate and resolve wavered leaving him unable to take that final blow to end the man's life._

_"Do it. Do it!" Ichigo yelled, turning back into his human form which would only make him weaker and less able to fight back. "Kill me. Or I'll come back and kill your whole family. I will kill your father first, then your mother, your sister, and lastly your brother. You will watch them all die before your very eyes."_

_"How could you do that? How could you do that to your own family?" he asked, his face wearing the repugnance he felt._

_"Because I let my pain and hate get the best of me. There's no hope for me now. Kill me...or I'll make all of you pay."_

_"But why?"_

_"Just do it!" Ichigo bellowed, closing his eyes and holding his breath. _

_Hisoka allowed the wrath and hatred that had collected over the years to take hold him, pushing all rational thought from his brain. Thrusting his lethal claws into the chest of the man beneath him, the man he had once called Daddy, the man who threatened to kill everyone he loved; his fingers pushed through muscle and bone feeling them give way beneath the razor sharp nails. His fingers wrapped around the soft beating organ that once was believed to be the source of all emotion. Too far gone to care about the agony that registered on the other man's face, he squeezed the heart he held in his hand. Feeling it straining to pulse in his palm that clutched it, he growled at the man when his brown eyes opened._

_"Thank you," Ichigo said, reaching up to touch his son's face that was spattered with his blood. "Don't hold onto the pain. Let it go so it doesn't make you cruel and twisted. Don't hate me. Please forgive me. Thank you for saving me from my misery and protecting your family." _

Nami held her mourning son as he burst into another fit of heart wrenching sobs to pour out his grief and pain. She ignored her own tears and let them fall down her face with abandon. Holding onto him, she remained silent until his body stopped shaking uncontrollably and his crying subsided.

"Do you remember what I told you? After your fight with Takeshi?" she inquired, wiping away the tears from his face with her hands.

"That physical force is necessary to protect some things?" he asked, sniffing as she nodded in affirmation. "Why?"

"Sometimes even killing is necessary to protect what you love. Don't you ever, ever let this be a source of regret for you. Ichigo would be disappointed if you let it turn you into what he became," she managed to tell him before her voice deserted her completely from her throat constricting so tightly with overwhelming emotion.

"Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry,"he apologized, starting to tremble again.

"Don't be," she said, holding his face to make him look into her eyes. "Promise me, you'll never be sorry for this no matter what. Ichigo would want it that way. Promise me like you promised him. Grant his last request. Let it go..."

"I-I pr-promise," he stammered, laying his head against his mother's chest. The memory of what he had done returned with nauseating clarity as he listened to the steady cadence of her heartbeat and felt her heart beating against his cheek. "I won't regret this. I did what I had to do."

"What happened? Is everyone all right?" Grimmjow questioned as he was rolled into the room. Momentarily stunned by the sight of the emotional train wreck that was his wife and son, he almost forgot to ask where the rest of his family could be. Before he could utter the question, Mitsu skipped into the room and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hi, Daddy!" she chirped happily, looking flushed as if she had just ran from somewhere.

"What's up, Pop?" Yusei asked, giving his father a kiss on the forehead.

"Uh, I don't know. All of you are acting...weird," he mumbled, unsure how to handle what was going on. He repeated his two inquiries from earlier, sincerely wanting an answer. "What happened? Is everyone all right?"

"Everything is fine. We are all fine," Nami proclaimed with a tight smile on her face.

Grimmjow grunted in disbelief. He hated it when his wife lied to him. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was if Nami said everything was fine it was anything but _fine_. Giving each family member a wilting glare as if to scare the truth out of them, he sat back in the wheel chair allowing the lingering effects of the anesthia from the surgery to keep him calm.

"Let me tell you something, I've lost my arm not my mental capacity for rational thought. I know something is seriously wrong here and someone better tell me what," he demanded, giving them each another hard glare in turn.

"I killed Ichigo, Dad," Hisoka confessed, holding his mother's hand tightly.

Nami felt like he was going to crush the bones in her hand he was squeezing so forcefully in his nervousness but she would not dare to complain. The boy being so forthcoming with the truth was hard enough. She bit her lip to hold her peace while her eyes stayed on her husband. She hoped the pain killers and sedatives in his system were enough to keep him from going into shock from the news.

Before Grimmjow could respond, Yusei volunteered his own unsettling revelation which at the moment was really no big deal. However, he hoped it would be enough of a diversion to get his father's mind off of Hisoka's disturbing confession.

"Mitsuhime kissed Takeshi Zaraki!" Yusei announced, once again trying the ploy of misdirection with his father. He was a mental magician of sorts who liked to use the power of 'think about this instead of that' to divert people from subjects too painful to think about. For once he was using his powers for the good of someone else instead of selfish purposes like saving his own behind.

"She did what? With who?" their father asked, glaring at his daughter solely this time.

Mitsu coughed self-consciously as her blush turned from a soft pink to the deep crimson of humiliation. The whole family breathed an audible sigh of relief and it seemed to lighten the stifling situation. They would cover the other subject at a later time when Grimmjow was more physically and mentally strong. When _all _of them were more physically and mentally strong.


	28. Chapter 28

I suppose I should put a violence warning on this chapter due to a certain scene. Can't ruin it by saying anything more so beware.

* * *

Hana silently entered the hospital room as not to disturb the sleeping family. He moved to the side of the bed where Nami slept next to her husband with his one arm wrapped around her. Avoiding looking at the stump at the shoulder that was left of Grimmjow's other arm, he swallowed as his eyes shifted to the son who looked just like him sleeping in the other bed. He assumed that Yusei and Mitsu had gone home to sleep. General Muguruma had sent him to get Nami because they had caught the person who fired the rocket launcher and was responsible for bringing down the plane. He had attempted to talk the General out of it, to just let the family rest and be together but the order had been issued and he had to follow it. Placing his hand on her arm, he shook her gently.

"Nami, Nami," he called in a low voice as not to wake the sleeping men.

Nami groaned and pushed his hand away. It seemed his efforts had failed until her eyes fluttered open before she slowly sat up. Pressing her finger against her lips to keep him silent when he opened his mouth to speak, she reached her other hand out to him so he would assist her with getting out of the bed. She followed him out of the room, closing the door carefully to make as little sound as possible.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, apprehension tightening every muscle in her body.

"I need you to come with me. The General ordered - " He stepped back when she fixed her eyes on him with a lethal glare.

"I don't give a damn what the General ordered," she hissed. "I'm not one of his soldiers and I don't have to do what he says. How dare you come here after what we've been through."

"Nami, we caught the person who fired on the plane," he told her in a rush before she acted on the murder in her eyes.

"What? Who is he?" she asked, grabbing him by the lapels of his uniform.

Hana swallowed hard, wrapping his hands around hers. He wanted to get a good grip on her before he told her the name of the culprit. "_Her _name is Renate Kurosaki."

"Let's go." Nami virtually dragged him out of the hospital to the car waiting outside. She sat up front in the passenger's seat with him but not a word passed between them as Hana drove to the brig. She was trying hard to maintain her temper. Her feral side screamed and clawed from deep within wanting to come to the surface. Maybe she would unleash the beast and all the hell with it making this the most literal of cat fights. If Renate was a hybrid, what would she be mixed with? What if she was just a regular human? Even if the woman was a so called 'regular' human, Nami had no intention of taking it easy on her because it was a given Renate was something less than human regardless. It appalled her that the woman not only conducted the human experimentation but even convinced her husband to allow himself to become a test subject. How sick and twisted.

Nami followed Hana into the prison. She did not notice the stares of everyone she passed because she was too busy willing herself to calm down. Her heart beat so loudly in her ears she could not hear anything but her own racing pulse. She was not sure if she took his hand or if he had grabbed hers, but she found her hand tightly encased by Hana's as he opened a door for her and ushered her into a dark room. Her eyes adjusted instantly to the dim light which was actually coming from the other room through the one way mirror. Closing her eyes, she stepped up to the large plate of glass. Feeling Hana's arm around her waist it seemed he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart at the moment. She could hear the General's voice being piped into the room through a speaker. After taking a steadying breath, she opened her eyes.

A petite blonde with her hair wrapped up tightly in a bun and tears in her big blue eyes sat at the table in the next room. She delicately dried the tears from her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. Her other hand nervously played with the buttons of the high collared shirt she was wearing. If Nami had seen her anywhere else she would have assumed the woman was a businessman's secretary because she was the stereotypical image of one.

"That's her," she stated aloud as if trying to convince herself.

"That's her," Hana affirmed, tightening his arm around her. "Are you all right?"

"No, Hana I'm not but that is moot at this time," she rejoined, squeezing his hand that she held between hers. "I want to talk to her."

"I don't know if that would be a good idea," he murmured feeling her body trembling again.

"Why was I brought here? Just to stare at her from afar and seethe in silence? Let me in there," she commanded him, turning to look at him.

"Nami, you're - " He could not finish his sentence as he stared into the eyes of the wild feline creature she used to be. "It's back."

"Only the best parts," she growled, baring her lengthy sharp incisors.

Hana dropped his arm from around her waist and allowed her to leave the room. He watched with fearful resignation because he knew the Commander General would be furious with him. His eyes followed his superior's path as the man crossed the room to open the door she had just knocked on. At the moment, he feared her wrath more than Muguruma's. Although he would never admit it to the man, it was somewhat satisfying to watch the big man be jerked from the room and the door slammed behind him. He smiled as she threw the lock and the General's voice was picked up by the sensitive microphone in the room yelling for her to open the door.

Nami turned to the mirror, placing her hand against his. She stared into the reflective glass not knowing she was actually looking right into Hana's eyes on the other side.

"You might not want to watch this," she warned, looking at her clawed hand in awe as if it belonged to someone or rather something else.

"What the hell is she doing?!" General Muguruma breathlessly demanded as he burst into the room nearly scaring Hana out of his skin.

"Nothing yet, sir," he answered much more calmly than he felt. "Do you think she will kill that woman, sir?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about it Yamada. We're looking at the last few moments of that little blondie's life. You might want to call the clean up crew and alert Urahara that he's about to have a mess on his hands," he said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "Make the calls, son then prepare to watch the show."

"Yes, sir," Hana replied, pulling out his cell phone to alert the proper parties for the upcoming blood bath.

Nami circled the frightened woman sitting at the table. She put her hand down on the table, bearing down and allowing her claws to scrape across the metal causing a nerve shattering screech to fill the room that was worse than nails on a chalkboard. A cruel smile twisted her lips as the blonde woman gritted her teeth and covered her ears.

"You almost killed my husband," Nami informed her, tapping her dreadful looking claws on the table as she glared with loathing at the woman.

"You did kill my husband," Renate sniffed, tears flowing down her cheeks once more.

"Cut the crap," she harshly snarled at the despondent woman. "The tears won't work on me and I don't care how much you cry. I've shed enough tears of my own as of late so don't expect sympathy from me. Oh, and by the way, if your husband had not tried to kill me he would probably still be alive."

"What are you?" Renate asked, staring openly at Nami with the curiosity of a scientist.

"I'm something different than what you created. Were you aware that this genetic mutation can act like a virus, a disease, that can infect others?" she questioned the woman, watching her blue eyes open up wide in shock. No, she did not know apparently. "There's a lot of things you don't know about what you did. That's what happens when you try to play God. There will be hell to pay."

Nami walked over to the light switch, pausing to look at the mirror. "I'm sorry gentleman. This is a ladies only party."

"Dammit, Nami!" General Muguruma bellowed angrily, hitting the shatterproof glass with his fist when she flicked off the light.

"How does it feel knowing you're about to die?" Nami asked the woman.

"I don't know. You tell me, bitch," Renate returned, standing up so quickly her chair fell and hit the floor with a loud bang.

Nami watched in disbelief and mounting horror as the woman began to transform before her very eyes. This woman truly was a mad scientist because she had not only experimented on her husband but herself as well.

Shiny black scales popped up all over Renate's body and her eyes turned yellow with the pupils narrowing into vertical slits. Her neck flattened and flared out into a hood like that of a cobra. A long, narrow forked tongue protruded from her mouth and flicked the air to find her prey in the darkness. A snake! Could the woman have been any other kind of animal besides a snake? Of course not.

Nami swallowed the lump of pure terror that had formed in her throat. She was confronted with her two greatest fears in one. Sweat beaded on her brow and above her lip. Her limbs felt frozen and heavy, too weighted down with fright to move. Her mind replayed the horrific scenes she had taken in over the last twenty four hours: the sight of the plane going down, Ichigo in his half beast form, her husband after his life saving surgery that could not save his mangled arm, her son's stricken and pale face as he recounted the murder of the man he once called Daddy, and many more rage and hate inducing images. Anger drove out the fear, causing her savage side to rush to the forefront. Acting only on instinct and her desire to protect the ones she loved, she lunged at the snake. Sinking her claws into the chest of the detestable creature, she pushed her across the room into the wall. A set of snapping fangs attempted to sink into her face or her neck as she held the creature against the wall. The phobia tried to creep in and overtake her, but the thought of her husband and son lying in the hospital beds each trapped and suffering in their own private hell of mental and physical agony, kept it at bay.

"You must die now," she snarled, seizing the woman by the arms and slamming her against the wall so hard there was an audible 'thunk' sound of her skull making contact with the unforgiving surface. Nami continued the motion, literally beating her into the wall as the drywall cracked and disentegrated. "You will pay for what you've done. Not just for my husband and son. But for what you did to Ichigo and the others that you turned into freakish beasts."

"I don't think so," the snaked hissed, her tongue licking out and brushing against her adversary's cheek.

Nami released the woman and stumbled backwards a few steps in revulsion and trepidation from the most undesirable contact. She unleashed a high pitched feline scream that sounded like it had come from one of hell's own demons. Picking up one of the chairs in the room, she attempted to use it like a bat to whack the hideous snake woman. Her weapon was stopped with a raised forearm then pushed away to land on the floor with a loud clatter. Setting her mind to kill this thing no matter what, she bared her teeth and lurched forward with another disturbing shriek. Jumping on Renate and enclosing her body with her arms and legs caused the woman to stumble and fall backwards under her weight which left her on top. Her desire for wrath destroyed her rational thinking. Leaning forward she sank her teeth into the smooth cool skin of the snake's neck. Tasting the metallic, cold blood that filled her mouth, it immediately caused her stomach to lurch and tumble with the compulsion to empty itself. Despite Renate's thrashing and screaming, the finely manicured nails on the scale covered hands that tore at her chest and throat, she refused to let go and actually sank her teeth into the delicate skin deeper. With each beat of the woman's heart, blood gushed from the severed jugular vein in rhythmic spurts to soak both of the women. When the woman stopped struggling and lay still under her, she opened her mouth to release the abominable thing. Quickly crawling away, she could no longer hold back her body's desire to throw up.

"No, please!" she cried out, covering her face when the light was flipped on.

"Oh, god, Nami, what did you do?" Kisuke asked her, kneeling down beside her. He tried not to allow the disgust to show on his face as he wiped the blood from her cheeks and chin. Grabbing the prefilled syringe from his bag, he swiftly swabbed her arm with an alcohol pad and inserted the needle into her vein to inject the sedative. He knew she would need it but he had no idea how badly until he saw this revolting disaster. After dealing with this, he could probably use a dose himself.

"Kisuke, I had to do it. I had to," she mumbled, clutching the bloody towel to her chest to hide the blood that had drenched her chest and shirt.

"Don't think about it. Oh, sweetie, don't think about it," he repeated, holding her head and pulling her against his chest until the sedative took effect.

"Sweet Mary Mother of God, what the hell - " General Muguruma stopped speaking when he saw the distraught woman in the arms of the blonde scientist who was glowering at him. "Get her out of here, Urahara. They're expecting her at the hospital. I'll have the hazmat team take this mess to the morgue."

"Just destroy it. Get rid of it," he said, standing to his feet and holding the unconscious woman to his chest.

"But don't you want to do an autopsy? Research? Something?"

"I said get rid of it General. She doesn't need any reminders of what occurred here tonight. What the hell were you thinking by bringing her here?"

As Commander General Muguruma glanced around the room at the bloody mess, he could not say what he had been thinking. Perhaps he had been hoping seeing Renate Kurosaki would offer closure to the ordeal and help Nami get on with her life. Instead it had driven her to temporary madness. Rubbing his hands across his face, he contemplated ways to assist the family with getting on with all of their lives. There is an old adage that says it takes a village to raise a child. He guessed it would take an army to heal this family.


	29. Chapter 29

Epilogue

Nami knelt beside Isshin at the gravesite they had bought for Ichigo in a cemetary not too far from the military base. Reaching over, she pressed her hands over his that was folded in between his knees. Silent tears ran down their faces as they mourned the unnecessary loss of a man they both loved but who had broken both of their hearts mostly by becoming what brought him to his demise. The last year had not done much to dull the pain for the family. She wiped away the tears from her chin and smiled when she felt her husband's big hand grip her shoulder and squeeze to comfort her. After giving Isshin a kiss on the cheek, she stood to her feet and moved away to allow Yusei to come forward to pay his respects to his father with whose memory he had made a necessary peace. She stood in front of her other son who was visibly shaking as tears flowed down his angular cheeks unchecked. Her eyes studied his face briefly noting how he had matured so much in the short span of time from when the tragic events first took place until now. He looked more like his father than ever. Hugging him briefly, she turned to watch as Yusei made room for his brother between him and Isshin. She could not keep the smile from her face when their grandfather put his arms around Hisoka to give him a hug.

"You'll be all right, son. You'll be all right," he murmured as he held the sobbing teenager who looked so strong but still had a tender heart.

Nami glanced at her daughter when she heard the rhythmic sniffing. She gave Takeshi a smile who was holding the crying girl against his broad chest. He did not seem concerned at all that mascara and foundation was smudging his clean white button down shirt and ruining it. Over the last year, the two of them had barely left each other's sides much to their parents dismay. Slowly, very slowly, the two families were getting accustomed to the idea that their children were going to be together no matter what any of them said. However, they seemed to be a good influence on each other. Takeshi had curbed his violent tendencies and Mitsu had tamed her bawdy mouth which was a feat that shocked even her brothers.

The remains of Renate Kurosaki had been burned and the ashes spread across a mile of the three mile dirt road surrounding the base. Each day, dozens of recruits trod across what was left of an incomprehensible evil, pounding her body into oblivion and her memory into obscurity. Her passage was not meant to be mourned or acknowledged. It was not even worth a celebration.

With Takeshi's help, Mitsu spread out the blanket near the grave and began setting out the dishes for lunch. Today, they would grieve. They would reminisce about the past while sharing laughs and tears. Tomorrow they would look forward to the future and a brighter day for all of them.

~\..'../~

* * *

Kisuke pulled the mask down over his face as they prepared to enter the building. The new facility where the creatures and scientists were being held had been found and they were not hesitating this time to raid the building. They could not allow them to escape again. Staring at General Zaraki clad in black from head to toe like all of them, he waited for the signal. The man pointed forward, and he raised his gun. Taking a deep breath, he followed the giant that kicked in the door with frightening force and violence.

Startled scientists looked up from their test tubes and computers, gaping in shock at the men who invaded their space with automatic weapons and covered faces. One female with unruly auburn curls and rage filled brown eyes stepped forward with a glass beaker in her hand. Before Kisuke could grab her, the glass instrument was hurled at him and burst into shards after making painful contact with his skull. He raised his gun, pointing it at her pretty face, the red laser sight appearing between her eyes. He paused when she defiantly glared at him as if daring him to shoot her.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!" she yelled at him just before all hell broke loose.

The lights went out and a deafening alarm began to blare. Red emergency lights switched on illuminating hell on earth in the lab. Panicked people began to run and scream seconds before one of the soldiers lost his cool and fired, sending off a burst of shots that sprayed the floor near the rebellious red-haired scientist.

Kisuke lunged forward, grabbing the woman and throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked and kicked, kneeing him in the chin. His brain felt as if it had been jarred loose and his head began to ache. That was enough. Setting her down on her feet, he raised the butt of his gun and hit her with a carefully placed blow to the side of her skull. Bending at the knees to be below her, he allowed her limp body to fold over his shoulder. She would wake up with a hell of a headache but no brain damage. He was not so sure he would be as lucky from the hits he had received from her.

"Get the human personnel out of here! Then go after the...not so human ones!" Zaraki bellowed, trying to regain control of the situation. "A second team will be in soon to confiscate the computers and secure the premises! Move!"

Zaraki looked around him, feeling his face twist with disgust beneath the mask he was wearing. Damn he hated this...these _things_. Now they had to take everyone and everything back with them to the military base. At the first possible opportunity, he planned to stick Urahara and all of these freaks on an uncharted island owned and protected by the government but far from him.

The End

* * *

I have plans for an offshoot featuring Kisuke and the hybrids. I'm not sure when I will begin writing it, but stay tuned. :D


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